Republican District Conventions
Nathan Greene
2 Comments
7 References
For the first time in as long as I can remember there are some fireworks to be expected at the District Conventions as the delegates elect new members to the governing body of the Republican Party of Iowa, the State Central Committee.
I’ve always thought it is weird that 5 or so months before Election Day you elect new members to guide the party through an election. I have always thought you could elect these people at District Convention but make their terms begin the day after Election Day. That would in essence give you two sets of hands for every seat unless someone is bitter about losing a reelection bid.
So before we go district by district, I thought it might be good to talk about the actual job these people are running for. Sadly, the position is really what the person elected wants it to be, there are no requirements. Some of our past SCC members don’t make it to county meeting in their districts and I have even heard don’t always make the SCC meetings in Des Moines. Their punishment? There is none. They don’t get paid, but re reimbursed for mileage at the federal rate, and when they meet in Des Moines they get a hotel room and some free food. They also get free seats at RPI dinners but those are few and far between.
What they should be doing is building a solid grassroots organizations in every county, especially in a presidential year. The can do this by finding ways to promotes those counties that are doing good work, and encourage those counties that need some help. What happens all too often is they just make sure they get what they need one project at a time. So they bug the crap out of a county chair during the caucuses and county convention, but then ignore the county because they don’t need anything from them anymore. What we really need is votes on Election Day.
What makes this round of District Conventions unique is the number of people running for these positions. There are three SCC spots in each district up for grabs, but every district has more than that running, and as always someone will run from the floor on the day of the conventions.
First District
Retiring
Dan Nicholson, Dubuque
Running for another term
Karl “Big Killer” Gilbertson, Black hawk
John Ortega, Scott
Challengers
Brian Kennedy, Scott
John Hulsizer, Dubuque
The reason this is going to be interesting is because Hulsizer is a former SCC member and is a long time Dubuque County activist, and Kennedy is a former Congressional Candidates, Romney Consultant, former Chair of the Party. Gilbertson is safe, but Kennedy and Hulsizer are probably going to get elected.
Second District
Retiring
Bill Vernon, Linn
Marc Lucas, Monroe
Running for another term
Lisa Smith, Wapello
Challengers
Todd Ver Steegh, Johnson
David Chung, Linn
Robin Malmberg, Henry
Jim Conklin, Linn
Now if you are looking for a good show on Saturday this is the place to be because they have a contested primary, but also because of the SCC elections. Lisa Smith is a long time member of the SCC but I hear the natives are restless and are saying the work “change” more than a Democrat Senator from Illinois who’s running for President. I’m not going to act like I know anything about the district so I’ll say toss up, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see three new members out of this district.
Third District
Retiring
Ted “The Real Sporer” Sporer
Loras Schulte
Running for another term
Steve Scheffler, Polk
Challengers
Eldon Pals, Jasper
Gopaul Krishna, Polk
Mary Ann Spicer, Polk
Ted Sporer isn’t really stepping aside; he’s just taking a different approach. He has been very vocal in who he thinks should not be reelected. For those playing at home, it is Sporer's opinion that Bonnie Hall, Reid Houser, and Matt Randall need to be eradicated from the committee.
Sadly, I don’t think there are many good options in the third. Scheffler is a slam dunk, and Eldon Pals is a solid guy. I’m hoping for another option to fill the third spot in this district.
Fourth District
Retiring
None
Running for another term
Bonnie Hall, Boone
Matt Randall, Story
Larry Smith, Madison
Challengers
Isaiah McGee, Dallas
Stan Gustafson
Bill Schikel, Cerro Gordo
Another fun one. I don’t think you are going to see an entire new slate of SCC members out of the 4th CD, but I think a couple of the incumbents are in trouble.
Fifth District
Retiring
Dave Raak, Sioux
Running for another term
Bill Anderson, Woodbury
Reid Houser, Pottawattamie
Challengers
Mark Lundberg, Sioux
Monte Shaw, Guthrie
First, Bill Anderson is an absolute rock star, and is probably the best member of the committee. I thin the two challengers have a great shot at winning. Shaw is a long time Republican activist who has run Grassley’s reelection campaign in 1996 and Elizabeth Dole’s campaign in 2000 here in Iowa. He is currently with the renewable fuels association. That’s a hard guy to turn down if you ask me, but so is a guy like Mark Lundberg simply because he is the chair of Sioux County, Iowa’s strongest Republican county.
Tough decisions in the 5th.
Reader Comments (2)
In the third...I think you left out Wes Enos.
Great post however. Outstanding.
Don't forget Wes. He's a very bright guy, and a tough campaigner.