Campaign Almanac: Trump to hold rally in Council Bluffs

Former President Donald Trump will hold a campaign rally in Iowa next week, his campaign announced Thursday.

Trump will speak at 1 p.m. July 7 at the MidAmerica Center in Council Bluffs. Members of the public can request free tickets at Trump’s campaign website.

It will be Trump’s first return to Iowa since he was indicted and arrested on federal charges accusing him of illegally mishandling classified documents and obstructing justice when federal officials tried to get them back. Trump has pleaded not guilty to the 37 felony charges.

Trump was last in Iowa for small gatherings at a conservative breakfast club and meeting with campaign volunteers in central Iowa. A scheduled Des Moines rally in May was canceled because of a tornado watch.

Trump leads polling in the crowded primary for the Republican nomination for president, both nationally and in Iowa. Recent Iowa polls show Trump with 40 to 50 percent of Republican support, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attracting support from 20 to 30 percent of Iowa Republicans.

Iowa Republicans will hold the first-in-the-nation caucuses in 2024, the first stop on the road to the nomination.

Tim Scott releases anti-abortion ad

South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who is running for the Republican nomination for president, released a radio ad on Thursday outlining his stance on abortion.

The ad is set to air on Christian radio in Iowa as part of a six-figure Iowa radio ad buy this summer, according to Scott’s campaign.

In the ad, Scott says he will sign “the most pro-life legislation that reaches my desk.”

“Our immediate priority should be passing a national 15-week limit on abortion while we support Republican-led states that do even more to protect life,” he says in the ad.

Doug Burgum ad focuses on energy production

North Dakota Gov. and Republican presidential candidate Doug Burgum released an ad on Thursday, focusing on expanding energy independence.

Burgum has made energy, national security and the economy the central planks of his campaign. He has advocated for expanding oil and gas drilling and using technologies like carbon capture and sequestration to lower carbon emissions.

The ad began airing in Iowa on Thursday as part of a $1.2 million ad buy across Iowa and New Hampshire in broadcast, digital and cable formats.

“We should be selling energy to our allies instead of buying it from our enemies, but Joe Biden shut down our energy production,” Burgum says in the ad. “True energy independence will lower gas prices, unleash the economy and strengthen national security.”

The ad also touches on Burgum’s business background and a narrator calls him “a new leader for a changing economy."