By The Iowa Statesman
Every day, we read through our email inbox in order to present you with the information from the political press releases that are most pertinent to you.
Short disclaimer: not all candidates send out press releases to us, so if your favorite isn’t showing up here, don’t get mad at us. We have told them all that we’d be more than happy to publish their releases.
So, let’s rifle through today’s Morning Dump …
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Ernst Participates in Congressional Delegation Trip to Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) announced Saturday that she and four other Members of Congress just wrapped up a visit to Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the Iowa Senator was also joined by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Representative Andy Barr (R-KY).
During their trip, the lawmakers met with U.S. troops, military leaders and political leaders to review regional issues and the counter-ISIL campaign. In addition to visiting with soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines from their respective states, the Members met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, KRG President Masoud Barzani, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, and Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah.
“The trip has been invaluable to gather the Ground Truth,” said Senator Ernst. “I have been able to visit with national leaders, as well as servicemen and women – including three of Iowa’s own – in countries facing extremist groups. Following this trip, I have great hope we will continue to be strong partners with these nations.”
Cruz wins 603 Alliance Selection Caucus
Republican presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz won the 603 Alliance Selection Caucus Saturday, receiving a whopping 72.3 percent of the vote. The 603 Alliance is New Hampshire’s largest gathering of conservative activists, comprised of a broad coalition of Tea Party, Liberty, faith-based, and Republican women groups from all over the state.
The 603 Alliance grew out of conservatives’ concern that various factions were splitting the conservative vote and allowing establishment moderates to win in New Hampshire. Determined to give the conservative coalition a stronger voice, the 603 Alliance decided to coalesce behind and endorse one conservative candidate. Today’s lopsided vote clearly shows that New Hampshire conservatives overwhelmingly support Ted Cruz.
“I am inspired by the number of New Hampshire conservatives who believe that our campaign can win,” said Cruz. “Working together, we can win the Granite State, beat the establishment, and take on the Washington Cartel.”
By winning the 603 Alliance Straw Poll, Ted Cruz has earned the support of a broad spectrum of conservatives who agree that he is the best candidate to beat the Democrat nominee in November 2016.
Blum announces initial commitments for Rising Tide Summit
Friday, U.S. Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA 1) and FreedomWorks announced that Republican presidential candidates Dr. Ben Carson, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, and former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum have confirmed they will attend the Rising Tide Summit in Cedar Rapids in December.
The event — to which all major presidential candidates from both parties have been invited — will take place from 1 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, at the U.S. Cellular Center, located at 370 First Avenue E in Cedar Rapids. It is a chance for grassroots activists to engage with the presidential candidates and listen first hand to their ideas for growing our economy.
“I am excited to announce commitments from these four candidates,” Blum said. “The Rising Tide Summit will give Eastern Iowans an excellent opportunity to hear for themselves which candidates have a compelling vision to get our economy back to work so wages can rise for our working families, and I am looking forward to having more candidates commit soon.”
CLICK HERE for tickets to the event.
Conservative leaders endorse Cruz
Citing his strong commitment to conservative principles and respect for the Constitution, three prominent conservative movement leaders have endorsed Ted Cruz for President. Sandy Rios, Lori Roman, and Susan Carleson have long careers working to further policies based on conservative principles in areas such as education, religious liberty, welfare, the protection of life, and Social Security.
“I am thrilled to have the support of three of the conservative movement’s strongest voices for families, religious liberty and the unborn,” said Sen. Cruz. “We are running an aggressive grassroots campaign and their help engaging and motivating conservative voters gives our effort a great advantage.”
Sandy Rios is the Director of Governmental Affairs for the American Family Association, one of America’s largest, pro-family grassroots organizations, and host of “Sandy Rios in the Morning on AFR Talk” which can be heard on nearly 200 stations through the American Family Radio Network.
Lori Roman is the founder and president of Regular Folks United, Libertas Global Partners, and Conservative Speaker Bureau, and the former executive director of the American Legislative Exchange Council. Roman previously worked at the Department of Education promoting school choice and coordinating with faith-based groups.
Susan Carleson is the Chairman and CEO of the American Civil Rights Union, an organization committed to vigorously defending Americans’ constitutional rights. She has served in the administrations of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush working on education issues and Social Security.
Grassley grills Administration on reports of Cuban troops in Syria
Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa today asked President Obama to reconcile strong engagement with the Cuban government amid reports of Cuban troops’ fighting on the side of Russia and Iran in bolstering the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Russia’s actions in Syria appear to be in direct contradiction to your statement of more than four years ago that ‘the time has come for President Assad to step aside,’ ” Grassley wrote to the President today. “And now, Cuba is acting as a military partner to Russia and Assad. It’s disconcerting that in light of your new relationship with Cuba, the Castro regime has chosen to align with Russia and Iran in supporting Assad in Syria. You’ve called on Congress to take further actions to engage Cuba and normalize relations. However, just months after your ‘historic step forward’ the regime of Raul Castro has essentially thumbed its nose at the U.S. by aligning with Russia, Iran and Assad in combating rebel fighters backed by the United States.”
Grassley’s letter continues, “Are you disappointed by Cuba’s decision to provide military support with Russia to back Assad? What actions do you plan to take with regard to Cuba’s military involvement in Syria? What message have you or your administration conveyed to the Cuban government regarding its actions?”
On Thursday afternoon, the President hosted the newly installed Cuban ambassador to the United States and a Cuban band at the White House.
The text of Grassley’s letter is available here.
Jindal to headline Dallas County GOP event on Friday
Dallas County Republicans are pleased to announce Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as the keynote speaker for the upcoming Dallas County Fall Speaker Series on Fri., Oct. 23.
The event will be held at the Waukee Community Center at 675 Walnut Street in Waukee. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and Gov. Jindal will address the crowd at 6 p.m.
“It is a pleasure to welcome Governor Jindal to Dallas County. We look forward to Governor Jindal sharing his vision for the future of the country with us,” Dallas County GOP Chair Tyler De Haan said.
Tickets to the event are $20 dollars. They can be purchased by registering at CLICK HERE to register for tickets, or purchase them by emailing info@dallascountygop.org. Tickets can also be purchased at the door for $25 dollars the night of the event.
The event will include refreshments and light snacks.
“We look forward to hosting Governor Jindal and continuing to share how limited government policies benefit Central Iowa families,” Dallas County GOP Co-Chair John Strathman said.
Dallas County Republicans plan to hold future events in the Fall Speaker Series later this year. The party hosted U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio at its Annual Steak Fry Dinner and Pie Auction in August. The Dallas County GOP also hosted a Spring Speakers Series earlier this year featuring New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Santorum names Lehman as coalitions director
Republican presidential candidate and winner of the 2012 Iowa Republican Caucus Rick Santorum (R-PA) is proud to announce that Kim Lehman will lead coalitions efforts for his campaign in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa.
Santorum said: “Kim Lehman is one of Iowa’s leading conservative voices and I am excited to welcome her to our growing Iowa team. Four years ago, Kim stepped forward when few gave us a chance. Even though she was Iowa’s Republican National Committeewoman, Kim took a shot on our campaign and with her help we were able to defy the odds. Kim will be a tremendous asset in the weeks and months to come as we build another winning Iowa Caucus campaign.”
Lehman said: “Rick Santorum is more than just a consistent conservative, I chose Rick Santorum because he has a clear understanding of the threats we face abroad, the economic challenges facing hardworking families, and has concise solutions with a record to get the job done. Rick Santorum is my choice to lead our nation because of my faith and conviction, and I am excited to join his growing Iowa team to help him repeat as winner of the Iowa Caucus.”
Lehman is a widely respected and well-known conservative leader in the Iowa. She previously served as Iowa’s Republican National Committeewoman, President of Iowa Right to Life, and State Director of Concerned Women for America’s Iowa Chapter.
In addition to those past positions, Lehman is currently a member of the Board of Iowans for Tax Relief and Iowans for Life, Lehman also served on the board of the John Paul II Stem Cell Institute, a bio-ethically driven stem cell research organization. In 2011, Lehman was among the first Iowans to endorse Rick Santorum for President.
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