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Georgia Runoff: Iowa GOP Staff Head South To Lend A Hand

by | Jan 4, 2021 | Campaigns, Congress, Featured

When you think of Iowa exports, what comes to mind? Corn probably, Pork, of course, Soybeans too. But what about political talent? Did that last one catch you off guard? Don’t let it.

“Iowa’s First in the nation caucuses and competitive elections make it the perfect environment to train and develop top-notch staff,” said Republican Party of Iowa Executive director Chad Olsen.  “I get calls every month from friends, consultants, and party members from across the county asking if I know of or I’m willing to part with any of our political operatives,” continued Olsen.

He explained that Iowa’s voters are issue savvy and expect individual attention. This requires good staffers to hone their event management, volunteer recruitment, and organizing skills.

“Iowa staffers are appreciated because they are battle-tested, they’ve been through a real trial by fire,” he laughed.

The Republican Party of Iowa is employing 12 staffers who, just days after the November election, headed south to assist with the closely watched runoff election in Georgia. The election, scheduled for January 5th, will decide whether Republicans maintain control of the US senate or if the Democrats will wrestle back the majority.

Iowa Field Report caught up with Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann for more information on Iowa’s role in the Georgia runoff.

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann

“When the runoffs were announced, I didn’t even hesitate in wanting to ask our staff if they wanted to move on to Georgia. Iowans began the fight against the Democrats’ radical left agenda during the caucuses and the job won’t be done until we hold these seats. We held the line here by re-electing Senator Joni Ernst, and now we are playing a part in securing victories for Senators Purdue and Loeffler and the Senate majority,” said Kaufmann.

He was excited that the Iowa GOP could share so many of the staffers to help in Georgia. Many of them are the same ones that helped President Trump, increased our majority in the statehouse, and flip two congressional seats from blue to red.

Kaufmann recently announced that he would be seeking another term as chairman. Currently, in his third term, Kaufmann has no shortage of accomplishments to cite as justification for his run, including delivering the state of Iowa for Trump once again and securing Joni Ernst’s reelection to the United States Senate.

Both of Georgia’s Senate seats are up for grabs Tuesday because none of the candidates received the required majority on the Nov. 3 election. The seats are currently held by Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, both Republicans. The Democratic challengers are Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock. With just 24 hours left before polls open, Iowa Field Report reached to Eric Branstad, Senior Advisor for the Trump Victory 2020, and fellow Iowan to get a sense of the feeling on the ground,

“Georgians, from what I’ve heard at the doors, understand that this is socialism versus capitalism. I think Georgians really understand, and it’s gotten through their heads through a multitude of different ways, that this is about either a really progressive, far-left future or this is about saving America. And I think Georgia Republicans really believe that and it’s about how much we can turn them out on election day. And that’s exactly what we’re going to do,” said Branstad.

Republicans are feeling good about their ground game in the state. The Republican National Committee has built a massive data-driven ground game, made possible thanks to historic fundraising effort under RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel’s leadership. In addition to the thousands of volunteers on the ground, the state team consists of over 500 paid staff. The RNC has committed to spending at least $20 million on the Georgia Senate runoffs.