Last week we noted that Mike Huckabee was going to be heading to Iowa to headline a fundraiser for the Iowa Family Policy Center, which is now being run by Bob Vander Plaats, and that Huckabee had stated quite clearly that he was attending the event in his capacity as a political leader.
So I am sure that it is purely coincidental that Vander Plaats has announced that the organizations he will be overseeing intend to be heavily involved in the state’s 2012 Republican presidential caucuses:
Former Republican candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats will lead a reorganized conservative policy and political advocacy group aimed in part at becoming an influential player in the campaign for Iowa’s 2012 Republican presidential caucuses.
Vander Plaats, who led a campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices in the Nov. 2 election, said Monday he will become president and chief executive officer of an umbrella group that includes the Iowa Family Policy Center, Marriage Matters and their political action committee.
Vander Plaats of Sioux City gives the new coalition of socially conservative groups a familiar face as it is plans a more influential role in the caucus campaign than four years ago, including offering its endorsement for the first time.
“We are going to be very engaged in the 2012 cycle. We believe it is our responsibility and our duty to be actively involved in taking a look at the candidates, vetting the candidates and then either recommending a candidate or candidates for consideration by the people who support us,” Vander Plaats told The Des Moines Register during an interview. The new group’s name, The Family Leader, is expected to be adopted today at the Iowa Family Policy Center’s board meeting.
