‘Awkward’ ouster gives Iowa GOP new leader

DES MOINES - The Republican Party of Iowa's governing board made an unusual course adjustment Saturday, removing Danny Carroll as the party's chairman and replacing him with former state legislator Jeff Kaufmann.

Kaufmann, 51, a community college professor and livestock farmer from Wilton, immediately called for the party to step up its voter outreach, fundraising and grass-roots organizing efforts, acknowledging his party trails Democrats in those areas heading into a crucial 2014 election that favors Republicans.

'This has 2010 written all over it,” Kaufmann told reporters in touting a GOP slate that could score midterm election victories that rival the successes of four years ago. 'We're going for it all.”

But first, Iowa Republicans must close ranks after a divisive leadership change that created internal friction among various factions representing the party's traditional establishment, evangelical Christians and liberty movement conservatives.

'This is a weird deal. I've never presided over my own termination,” Carroll said at the start of the last state central committee meeting he led as party chairman. 'This is an awkward moment for all of us.”

Carroll, who had hoped to serve until January, said he had been leading in a way that attempted to unite the party's factions and balance various objectives while still promoting biblical ideals. Several speakers praised his leadership in steering the party through its primary election and convention season in recent months.

'It is truly with a heavy heart that I move this no-confidence vote,” said Schulte, who told fellow central committee members the foremost concern is for Republicans to be successful in November.

Tamara Scott, a GOP national committeewoman who voted against ousting Carroll, called the timing 'unfortunate” with the party facing an 'opportune” election.

'We've heard nothing but praise and yet today we punish him for it,” Scott said of Carroll.

She abstained from voting for Kaufmann as the new chairman and Rock Rapids chiropractor Cody Hoefert, 36, to replace Gopal Krishna as party co-chairman after Krishna tendered his resignation Saturday.

Kaufmann and Hoefert said they hoped to raise $300,000 in the next three months to strengthen the state party and prepare for the fall campaign. Their goals include restoring trust, building a team and staffing key positions, supporting the party platform and getting GOP candidates elected.

'I believe I need to be a voice for our party, our platform and our vision,” Kaufmann said.

Kaufmann downplayed the focus on factions within the party, noting that he considers himself an establishment Republican with social conservative beliefs and a strong commitment to personal liberties.

'The family fights that we have, Democrats have them, too. Perhaps they're a little less transparent in sharing those with you folks,” the new GOP chairman told reporters. 'Family fights are intense and they're passionate, but family fights also mean you circle the wagons in the end.”

Kaufmann acknowledged that Democrats 'are ahead of us in many areas” because of the lack of a cohesive, coherent plan of action within the Republican camp, but he hopes to turn that around in coming months.

'We've got to play catch up and then we've got to surpass them,” he said.

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