GOP hopefuls say Massachusetts shows the way

By James Q. Lynch 

The Gazette

CEDAR RAPIDS – Linn County Republican precinct caucuses Saturday seemed to have a bit of a Boston accent.

Candidate after candidate invoked Scott Brown's upset victory in Massachusetts special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Ted Kennedy as a sign the GOP is on the comeback.

“I never thought I would be able to say, ‘How about Massachusetts' at a Republican caucus,” Iowa House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha,  joked.

It was the “vote heard the world,” added U.S. House 2

^nd

District hopeful Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

GOP wins in New Jersey, Virginia and Massachusetts elections have “paved the way for a conservative comeback this November,” said another U.S. House 2

^nd

District hopeful, Christopher Reed of Marion. “That election sent shock waves around the nation: There are no more safe Democratic seats.”

“Massachusetts knocked on the door. But I tell you folks, we're going to kick it in,” added Steve Rathje, a third candidate for that 2

^nd

District seat.

Off-year caucuses tend to be low-key affairs, but Linn County Republicans demonstrated a new-found energy. The Massachusetts victory as well as polls showing voter dissatisfaction with President Barack Obama's agenda and a likelihood of turning out first-term Democratic Gov. Chet Culver make this a good time to be a Republican, Paulsen told nearly 400 Republicans at Washington High School.

Iowa's political parties were experimenting with holding caucuses on a Saturday and Republicans, for the most part, were pleased with the results. Former GOP State Central Committee member David Chung called the turnout “extraordinary.” He wasn't sure it was because it was a Saturday or because of the high level of interest among conservatives.

“This is really good for a non-presidential year caucus,” added Todd Henderson, another GOP activist.

GOP County Chairman Tim Palmer agreed, but said it's unlikely caucuses in a presidential election year will be on a Saturday.

“There's too much tradition” for holding a weeknight caucus, he said, “and not enough rationale to change that.”

One reason for that, Chung said, is the “caucuses and the news cycle are so tightly connected” that state party and campaign leaders would be reluctant to risk the wall-to-wall coverage they seek for the caucuses by scheduling them on a weekend.

Turnout for Linn County Democratic caucuses was spotty. Democratic Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers reported via Twitter he and Peggy Whitworth were the only people at their Cedar Rapids 39 caucus. County Auditor Joel Miller tweeted that he was alone at his Robins precinct and speculated Democrats should have had a county-wide caucus like the Republicans.

Other precincts had better attendance. Linn County Democratic Chairwoman Diane Hoffmann said Cornell College students showed up with enthusiasm and resolutions at her Mount Vernon South precinct. Several other precinct leaders had reported good turnout for off-year caucuses.