Sarah Henderson for 2nd District SCC

As readers of this blog know, I recently resigned my position as a member of the GOP State Central Committee from the Second Congressional District. I resigned in order to give my support to Christian Fong's gubernatorial campaign.

Since that time, I have been asked repeatedly about whom I would support for the position. In the past few weeks I have had several people call me asking for my support and endorsement. It has been difficult because without exception, these calls have come from friends and political allies. Any one of them would be serve our district well on the SCC. But to each one who has called I have said the same thing. I have already decided on whom I would endorse to be my successor.

When I made my announcement. I called our state party chairman, e-mailed all of the county chairs and co-chairs in the district, posted the info on Facebook and Twitter. As soon I had hung up and hit Enter ...

My first call was to my good friend Sarah Henderson. I told Sarah that I was resigning from the SCC effective immediately and that I could think of no one better to fill the position.

I first met Sarah Henderson several years ago when we served together on the State Platform Committee. Since then we have served on several platform committees together. Sarah is an authentic conservative and my family and I have had the pleasure of helping in a small way in her campaigns for Cedar Rapids City Council.

Sarah has a wide range of political experience. She has worked in state government, for advocacy groups and on numerous campaigns. She is active in the Linn County Republican Central Committee and was the youngest person ever elected to the Cedar Rapids City Council where she was often the only voice for fiscal responsibility.

With my absence, the second district is ably represented by Lisa Smith of Ottumwa and Jason Hutcheson of Morning Sun. With Sarah on the SCC, our district would have two representatives from smaller towns in rural counties in southern Iowa and Sarah from the largest (and northmost) urban county in the district. In the ten years since re-districting, our district has always maintained a 2 to 1 ratio of SCC members from rural counties to urban. Unlike the 3rd Congressional District where Polk county has dominated the district with multiple SCC members and National Committee people, we in the 2nd District have tried to balance large and small, rural and urban in our representation. As a representative from Linn County, Sarah would continue that tradition.

It is these qualities that I know Sarah will bring to the State Central Committee. Sarah is a rising star in our party and I know she will serve us well on the SCC. And while I know that only the members of the District Executive Committee will actually have a vote — I would like to offer my unqualified endorsement of my good friend Sarah Henderson for 2nd District Representative on the Republican State Central Committee.