Republican National Convention: A reporter’s notebook

A roundup of news from the Republican National Convention in Cleveland:

HELP FROM WALKER: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said Monday he'll be back in Iowa this summer to help Republicans try to win control of the state Senate, an occasion that's likely to galvanize both sides of the political aisle. Walker, who ran for the Republican nomination but was one of the first to drop out, said he expects to help raise money in August for GOP state senators. Walker's help also is likely to motivate Iowa Democrats, who argue that Walker and the Republican-controlled Legislature in Wisconsin have swung too far to the right, particularly when it comes to bargaining rights for labor unions. Speaking to Iowa convention delegates, Walker portrayed GOP control as a blessing. 'There's no end to the good you can do,” he said. He noted, in particular, cutting off funding for Planned Parenthood, which drew applause.

KASICH ABSENCE: Ohio Gov. John Kasich's absence at this week's Republican National Convention in his own state has not gone unnoticed by the head of Iowa's Republican Party. Kasich - who ran an unsuccessful presidential bid - has meetings with various state delegations, business groups and events at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, but is steering clear of the convention floor at the Quicken Loans Arena. Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann says that's not being part of a team. 'We are bringing tens of millions of dollars into the state of Ohio, tens of millions into one of his cities that needs this kind of economic growth more than anything else,” Kaufmann told an Iowa group before heading to Cleveland. 'You're the governor of that state and you're not going to go to the convention that's bringing tens of millions in? Give me a break. Regardless of what you think about Donald Trump, what message does that send?”

THE PENCE EFFECT: Jim Kirkpatrick, a former Quad-Citian, may be a prime example for how Indiana Gov. Mike Pence helps Donald Trump this election with the GOP rank and file. Kirkpatrick, a financial adviser who now lives near Indianapolis and was a county chair for Ted Cruz in his state, wasn't sold on Trump as the GOP nominee. But that's not the case now. 'Picking Pence would probably be the only thing that would get me off the fence,” Kirkpatrick said while attending the Iowa delegation's breakfast reception. Kirkpatrick attended the breakfast with his sister, Kay Quirck, an alternate delegate from Alta in northwestern Iowa.