January 23, 2015--Coming off a
successful 2014 cycle, Republican Party of Iowa executive director Chad
Olsen and chairman Jeff Kaufmann (twitter) say the party is
energized heading into 2016. Kaufmann, a former state
representative from Wilton, is a history and psychology instructor at
Muscatine Community College. Olsen's Iowa caucus experience goes
back to Sen. Phil Gramm's 1996 campaign. In a briefing with
reporters Kaufmann said the party has continued to build on its energy
from 2014 and has set a goal of raising $1 milliion this year.
The party is already preparing for the caucuses (+) and
Kaufmann
emphasized that it will be neutral in the caucus process. He
said he wants the candidates to spend time in Iowa, and that Iowa would
"earn" its first in the nation status. In
response to a question Kaufmann discussed a recent phone call he
received from former Gov. Jeb Bush. He said they spoke for about
20 minutes. "I am convinced if he is a candidate he's going
to play in Iowa," Kaufmann said. He mentioned a couple of times
that he had not spoken with former Gov. Mitt Romney. Kaufmann
also indicated that the party is considering venues besides Iowa State
University in Ames for its August Straw Poll. "We are getting
some really good offers," he said.
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