Help us track future presidential candidates' Iowa visits

It’s never too early to start preparing for the next election. In September, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer headlined Tom Harkin’s Steak Fry.

Next month Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal

will keynote a fundraising dinner for the Iowa Family Policy Center’s “Celebrating the Family” banquet, a high-profile Christian conservative event in a state pivotal in presidential races.

The governor’s spokeswoman, Melissa Sellers, confirmed that Jindal will attend the event November 22 and also will make a stop in the Cedar Rapids area to see some of the recent flooding damage there.

I’m keeping my eye out for reports like this, but if you hear about any Iowa visits planned by likely presidential candidates in 2012 or 2016, please post a diary here or e-mail me (desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com).

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desmoinesdem

  • Jindal is who the GOP wanted on the ticket

    He was wise not to accept.  And unlike Palin, I expect to see Jindal in 2012 or 2016.  If McCain loses, which is looking more likely unless we have voting day irregularities (which are being reported already), Palin is history.  

    • I think Palin will be back

      regardless. She has enough followers who will not blame her if McCain loses. Probably not enough to win the nomination in 2012, but enough for her to take a shot at it.

      Romney and Huckabee will also be back.

      I agree with you that Jindal is going to be in the mix too.

      • Maybe...

        She is still a woman in a man’s party.

        I think Mike Huckabee is truly manuevering himself into the nomination in 2012. The Fox News show, the popular culture appeal.

        Call me crazy but I think he is formidable and would have probably done better than McCain will.

        • Nice analysis about Huckabee v Palin

          Nice analysis from Matthew Yglesias…

          “And in a lot of respects I think Palin’s emergence has helped make Huckabee look really good. Months ago, he was this social conservative darling with undeniable political talent and a seemingly weak grasp of national policy. But compared to Palin, the guy looks like the most knowledgeable candidate on the planet. And while he has a lot of Palin’s small town charm, he’s actually charming enough that a lot of city slickers find him pretty charming too (sign me up). He’ll have a few years, and a Fox News show, to try to improve his command of various issues and then you could see him being a quite formidable contender. If, that is, he can find a fundraising base.”

          • the business community

            absolutely detests Huckabee, so he’ll have to consolidate the religious right in order to raise serious money.

            I remember reading that many people in the Christian conservative circles regretted not getting behind Huckabee earlier. Some had endorsed Rudy or even Romney because Huck seemed like such a longshot.

            I wonder whether the business community will unite behind Romney. Last year they were divided between Romney and Rudy.

  • Right turn ahead?

    John Deeth had an interesting point (via Steven Stark at RCP) that history suggests the Republican party might take a sharp right turn in 2012. Sort of the arch-conservative “if only we didn’t compromise”/”conservativism wins every time it’s tried” argument.

    Should the party take that sharp right turn, the Huckster could fill that role. I could also see Bobby Jindal emerging as that sort of Barry Goldwater-ish figure.

    Palin just isn’t serious enough for the turn the party is going to take in the years to come. Plus, she’s damaged goods. I also think it would be too sharp of a turn for any of the other ’08 contenders to make (with the possible exception of Tom Tancredo).

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