Iowa GOP's Strawn is 'politico' to watch

An Eastern Iowa farm boy has been named one of 50 "politicos" to watch by a Washington-based political web site.

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn, who grew up on a Van Horne area farm and graduated from Benton Community in 1992, has been included in the "under-the-radar" politicos who may not be household names - even in political circles, but "are sure to make a splash," according to Politico, a print and Internet newspaper covering politics and the nation's capitol.

As a politico, Strawn is a "participant in and/or an especially avid devotee of the theater of politics," according Politico, which began publishing in 2007.

Strawn, 35, now of Ankeny, was elected chairman of the Iowa party after the 2008 election. He ran a tech-savvy campaign that featured social networking tools including Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. He also hosted pizza parties around the state to meet with Republicans interested in the future direction of the party.

In his first 100 days on the job Strawn logged about 7,500 miles visiting towns, some that had not seen a state GOP chairman in years.

Strawn, who owns the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League, has made reaching out to younger voters a priority.

"Part of it is just making sure that young voters and young professionals see a party that reflects what their lives are," he told Politico. "We're putting on that face of being someone who actually understands the busy lives of younger families in the state."

While his immediate goals include electing a Republican governor in 2010 and winning control of the Iowa Legislature, Strawn, by virtue of being chairman of the Iowa GOP, is a player in national politics. Iowa is expected to host the first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2012, which likely will be a launching pad for the Republican presidential nominee.

A University of Iowa graduate, Strawn worked for congressmen from Georgia and Michigan, graduated first in his class from Catholic University of America law school. He was Iowa director for the McCain campaign from January to July of 2007.

For the complete story, visit: www.politico.com.