A Year in Iowa

Thompson's magic number: 25,000

Jan. 28, 2007

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Apparently, fans of politicans aren't clouded by sports allegiances.

You might have thought almost any spot in Iowa would have been a better one for former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson to hold a presidential campaign event than the one he chose Sunday afternoon. Thompson, a Republican presidential candidate, held an event at the Wig and Pen Pub, which basically is just down a long hill from Carver-Hawkeye Arena. There earlier Sunday, Thompson's alma mater, the University of Wisconsin, gave the University of Iowa a 57-46 defeat in men's basketball.

Making matters worse -- or better, if you're a Badgers fan -- Wisconsin beat Iowa in wrestling Saturday night, 19-18. That was the Badgers' first wrestling win over their Big Ten Conference rival in 41 years. At least one Iowa wrestling fan was still muttering about it in an area separate from the pub's room where Thompson's event was held.

Thompson was at the basketball game Sunday. Those who knew who he was and where he was from were charitable, he said.

"All in good-natured ribbing," Thompson said. "The people treated me with a great deal of respect and friendship.

"But the truth of the matter was Iowa's defeated Wisconsin in football four of the last five years. Did you know that? Iowa always beats Wisconsin in the stadium here?

"I think Iowa has won its last 27 games in its home stadium against all teams."

Actually, the Hawkeyes lost their last two home games of 2006. The latter was against ... Wisconsin. But after the wrestling and basketball losing to Wisconsin that Iowa endured this weekend, it was probably best for the candidate not to bring up football with any would-be Iowa caucus supporters. Of which there were nearly 100 on a day in which the temperature barely crept into double digits. The crowd seemed solidly behind its fellow Midwesterner.

"If he can get his name out there and his ideas out there, I think he'd do an amazing job," said Drake University junior Beth Orr of Muscatine.

How convinced is Steve Grubbs of Davenport? The former Iowa state representative has been hired to run Thompson's Iowa campaign. Grubbs was co-chairman of Bob Dole's Iowa campaign in 1996. To hear Grubbs tell it, the fact that Thompson received 1 percent of the support in a Jan. 15-16 Zogby International poll of Republicans in Iowa and New Hampshire can be overcome.

"There are 100,000 people will vote in the Iowa caucus," Grubbs said. "We need to meet and convince a good portion that he's the right guy for the job. It's going to require a lot of voter contact, but once they hear his message we're convinced they'll come over and we can get 25,000 votes.

"Think about it. It's 25,000 votes. It's like a ward race in a lot of cities."

Thompson has made five visits to Iowa in January alone, a year before the Iowa caucuses.

"I'm coming to Iowa one day a week, every week," he said. "It's been fascinating ... and fantastic."

Grubbs hitched on with Thompson because "the governor is, first of all, a regular guy. Second of all, he's a successful governor who started welfare reform in America. And, he's one of the most likeable people I've met in my life. I used to be chairman of the Republican Party in Iowa. When (Thompson) asked me to do it, it wasn't a hard decision. He's electable, and he's a reliable conservative. He's been a governor and a proven winner."

But 1 percent in Iowa in a poll in which Secretary of State Condolezza Rice got 9 percent from Iowans though she insists she isn't interested in running? Those aren't numbers that grab Grubbs right now.

"We're filling rooms," Grubbs said. "There's a chance we'll have met almost 100 key voters here today. You do that enough times, you have your 25,000 votes put together."
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