Freedom Summit in Des Moines to feature loaded lineup of GOP presidential hopefuls

DES MOINES - Potential presidential hopefuls are here, Iowa Republican voters. A lot of them.

Have at them.

More than a dozen Republicans who are considering a run for the White House in 2016 have descended upon Iowa's capital city this weekend to speak at an event hosted Saturday by Congressman Steve King.

Although the event will not include some of the biggest names in the hypothetical race - Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Rand Paul are not in town this weekend - the long list of those in Iowa make King's event the unofficial kickoff to Republicans' president-selecting process.

State party chairman Jeff Kaufmann said he hopes Iowa Republicans appreciate the fact that so many candidates have chosen to come to Iowa roughly a year ahead of the state's 2016 first-in-the-nation caucuses, and he expects those Republicans will be paying close attention Saturday.

'I think it's going to be fascinating (Saturday), not only as the party chair I'm going to be very proud, but as an academic (Kaufmann teaches at a community college in Muscatine) I think it's going to be fun to see this group start to differentiate themselves, what they emphasize, what they don't. And then reading how all you folks (in the media), your take on it,” Kaufmann said.

Those scheduled to speak Saturday include Mike Huckabee, Chris Christie, Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Ben Carson, Scott Walker, and Donald Trump.

Most of the speakers have at least some familiarity with Iowa, having campaigned here either in the 2012 presidential election cycle or during 2014 in support of Iowa's midterm election candidates.

But it's a new cycle and a new opportunity to nab support.

Not everyone, of course, is rolling out the welcome mat for this particular group of potential candidates. Multiple liberal groups have organized protests and opposition events throughout Saturday, including immigration advocacy groups who are no fans of King.

King has staunchly opposed any immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for those living in the country illegally. He also has been criticized for some of his statements on immigration, including one in which he said most immigrants crossing the border illegally are drug smugglers with calves the size of cantaloupes.

'Steve King has a cantaloupe for a brain, and anyone who would spend time with him also has a cantaloupe for a brain,” said Brad Woodhouse, president of the immigration advocacy group American Bridge 21st Century.

Kaufmann said he doesn't believe Saturday's speakers need to be worried by Democrats' efforts to tie them to King. Kaufmann said he doesn't believe any one issue - like immigration or the popular-in-Iowa Renewable Fuel Standard - will raise or sink any potential candidate, and that Saturday's event is about more than one Representative or even one segment of Republicans.

'It doesn't go unnoticed to me that this event is in Des Moines. It's not in the 4th District (King's northwest Iowa U.S. House district),” Kaufmann said. 'I think this is an Iowa event. I think Steve King has provided the opportunity for all these candidates to come together, but I don't know that I would call this a Steve King event or any particular person's event.

'I think this is the first opportunity for all the candidates to come to Iowa. I think the message we're sending is, here comes the welcome mat.”