DES MOINES, IOWA — Nine Republican presidential hopefuls will share a stage Saturday here in the hopes of winning the backing of the state’s socially conservative GOP activists, whose support can be crucial to winning the state’s presidential caucus, the first major event in the presidential primary.
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum won the state with their help in 2012. Four years before that, they helped former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee win. The wins boosted their struggling campaigns, making them contenders in the later key primary events in New Hampshire and South Carolina, though neither was able to win the nomination.
Both are appearing at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s “Spring Kick-Off” event in the hopes of rebuilding their former coalitions. Other candidates attending include Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, Texas Gov. Rick Perry, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and California businesswoman Carly Fiorina.
Notably absent are New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, both of whom were invited.
“The event will have a definite religious cast to it,” said Don Racheter, chief operating officer of the Public Interest Institute, an Iowa nonprofit free-market group. The coalition evolved from the state branch of the now-defunct Christian Coalition and was formerly known as the Iowa Christian Alliance.
It’s a very large organization, Racheter adds, noting the event typically draws 800-900 people, some of whom will drive several hours to attend.
In short, it is a golden opportunity for candidates to reach out to some of the state’s most dedicated Republican activists. “You could potentially sign up dozens, maybe even hundreds, of new supporters at an event like this,” said Patrick Hynes, a veteran Republican political consultant. “These are the ones who are paying attention really early, the real die-hards.”
The crowded nature of the field of Republican candidates makes standing out early another bonus. Walker was able to vault to the top tier of GOP hopefuls with a speech at another event, the Iowa Freedom Summit, in January.
“Everyone is trying to score what Scott Walker got at that event,” said David Hogberg, senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research and a University of Iowa Ph.D graduate.
Iowa tends to favor the candidates with the strongest socially conservative support, observers note. That is not because the number of those voters is necessarily that large, but because they tend to be highly dedicated and the caucus process rewards that dedication. Unlike a primary, which is a simple vote tally, the Iowa caucus involves groups in each precinct debating among themselves who to support until they reach a decision. Persistence pays off, big time.
“You have to be willing to come out on a cold night and stay a long time,” Racheter said, noting that Santorum’s ability to reach the people willing to do that was a major factor in his 2012 success.
