Verona, PA - Former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) announced today that Cody Brown, former campaign manager for Ben Lange's congressional run (IA-1) will manage Senator Santorum's testing the waters effort in Iowa.  Cody will be joined by Lucas Draisey, former Chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, who will serve in a field director role. 

 

"I am thrilled to announce that Cody and Lucas are joining our team.  They've demonstrated a unique understanding of what it takes to have an effective grassroots effort, particularly in a state like Iowa where folks want to see and hear directly from potential candidates," said Senator Santorum.  "Cody and Lucas will be a great compliment to our Iowa-based advisors Nick Ryan and Jill Latham, and I look forward to working closely with them in the weeks and months ahead."

 

Cody Brown served as campaign manager for Ben Lange, candidate for Congress in Iowa's first Congressional district in 2010.  Cody was instrumental in leading a first-time candidate to within 4,200 votes of defeating Rep. Bruce Braley, a two-term incumbent and Vice Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.  Cody also helped Lange win a competitive four-way primary by 30 points, the largest margin of victory in Iowa's first district in recent history.  Most recently, Cody has worked on the Project on National Security Reform in Arlington, VA where he authored a book on the National Security Council system and partnered with the National Counterterrorism Center to produce a report on U.S. strategic operational planning for global counterterrorism.

 

Lucas Draisey, former chairman of the Iowa Federation of College Republicans, works closely with State Senator Sandra Greiner in District 45.  Lucas interned for Greiner during her run for the State Senate and has most recently served as a clerk for Senator Greiner, where he researched proposed legislation and assisted with constituent outreach.

 

Cody and Lucas will join consultants Nick Ryan and Jill Latham of the Des Moines, IA-based Concordia Group LLC who have served as advisors to Senator Santorum for the past several months. 

 

Nick Ryan served as a top political advisor for Congressman Jim Nussle (R-Iowa) from 1999-2006, and ran three successful congressional campaigns in Eastern Iowa.  Nick is also the founder of the American Future Fund which was established as a multi-state issue advocacy group designed to effectively communicate conservative and free market ideals.

 

Jill Latham previously served as Iowa Political Director for Governor Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2008.  Jill has vast experience in government and politics, having worked on Capitol Hill and around the country, including President Bush's re-election campaign in 2004. She also served as the Political Director of the Republican Party of Wisconsin from 2005 - 2006.

 

Senator Santorum has been to Iowa eleven times since late 2009 and will be returning again on Monday, April 25.