Rep. Jodi Tymeson speaks out on the week that was
Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 12:58PM 
Dear Friends,
You’ve heard the old expression that bad things come in threes but the opposite was certainly true for Team VP 2010 this week! In fact, it’s been nothing but great news for our campaign all week.
We were blessed with two outstanding events in Iowa’s Great Lakes region featuring our good friend, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, on Wednesday. On Thursday, Bob came out on top in a poll conducted by TheIowaRepublican.com and WHO Radio’s Deace in the Afternoon program. And, the campaign announced today that actor and martial arts legend Chuck Norris has endorsed Bob.
The Huckabee event provided a terrific financial boost to the campaign at an event hosted by Larry and Sharee Den Herder in their beautiful home. That was followed by Governor Huckabee’s electric appearance at our "Leadership at the Lakes" event at the Arnolds Park Pavilion that showed just how much energy and emotion Bob’s supporters possess for a winning campaign. More than 350 people heard Bob outline his vision for the state and cheered as Governor Huckabee endorsed Bob. Here’s just a sample of what he had to say:
"Bob hasn’t officiallly announced his intentions yet but I don’t mind giving him a little nudge because the stakes are so high for Iowa. This state desperately needs new leadership and Bob’s determination to make great things happen is unequaled. Bob’s committed to leading Iowa forward by reforming the way state government works, putting an end to the Democrats’ runaway spending and really opening Iowa for business so you have an economy that’s hitting on all cylinders. He has front-line, real-world experience as a public school teacher and principal and he’s been a leader in the human services and health care field. Education and human services make up roughly 80 percent of the state’s budget and it’s about time you had someone leading this state who truly understands how to make those systems work better instead of protecting the status quo."
On Thursday, Bob topped former House Speaker Christopher Rants by more than a two-to-one margin and outdistanced two other potential GOP gubernatorial candidates by even larger margins in a poll conducted by TheIowaRepublican.com. Bob received 52.4 percent of the 559 votes in the poll, followed by Rants with 25.6 percent, Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley with 18 percent and former state Sen. Jeff Lamberti at 4 percent. Sure, this is only one poll and it’s early in the campaign cycle. But for Bob to post such an impressive showing against former House Speaker Christopher Rants and two other respected leaders proves once again just how deep and wide the support is for Bob within our party.
And, last but certainly not least, was the Norris endorsement. Here’s a little bit of what Chuck wrote in his nationally syndicated column announcing his support for Vander Plaats, former Rep. John Kasich of Ohio and Judge Roy Moore of Alabama: "I encourage you to spread the word about these gentlemen and patriots, learn about their platforms, support their campaigns, and see to it that they are elected in their gubernatorial races. Theirs is leadership we can trust. I'm convinced that if we are to win back America, it's going to start in the heartland and spread out from there because of the influence of leaders like them. Don't like what you see in government? Tired of incumbent lethargy and inactiveness? Does a political issue grind on you like fingernails on a chalkboard? It comes down to this: Either you will change our country or your opponents will, and if you let them change it, you might not like the outcome."
I couldn’t agree more. Chuck’s support will raise Bob’s national profile and boost the campaign’s fundraising base. And, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chuck and his wife, Gena, in Iowa to support Bob in person as things move forward.
After such an exceptional week, you deserve a pat on the back for all you’ve done – and all you’ll continue to do. Thank you for your continued support of Bob with your time, talent and treasure. Please help us spread the good word about Bob Vander Plaats as we work hard to take back our state government.
Sincerely,
Jodi Tymeson
State Chair
