Politics

All quiet in Iowa on the Palin, Perry front

Amanda Carey Contributor
Font Size:

The last few weeks have seen a lot of talk about dissatisfaction with the current Republican primary field and the possibility of a late bid by Texas Gov. Rick Perry or former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

But after a highly publicized bus tour, Iowa Republican Party insiders say Palin has been silent in their state, and that Perry hasn’t attempted to lay any groundwork there yet either.

For Palin to compete, the one-time vice presidential candidate and Tea Party star would need to campaign in the early caucusing state of Iowa and do well there to move on as a serious candidate. But aside from Peter Singleton, a volunteer leader at Organize4Palin in the state, her presence there is minimal.

According to three prominent Iowa Republicans, however, Palin’s camp has been completely silent of late. Both Tim Albrecht, spokesperson for Gov. Terry Branstad, and Dave Funk, co-chair of the largest county in the state (Polk County) told The Daily Caller the Palin camp has been completely silent.

Albrecht said that when it comes to Palin, things have been “pretty quiet,” and there has been “no contact from Palin.”

Funk, who is also a former Congressional candidate, told TheDC that he too, hasn’t heard anything from Palin.

Coincidentally, Funk also recently organized a recent Polk County fundraiser that featured speaker Minnesota Rep. and now presidential candidate Michele Bachmann.

(AHEAD: Romney extends lead for GOP nomination)

Judy Davidson, GOP chair for Scott County — a battleground county in the state that broke Republican in 2010 — also told TheDC that there has been only silence on the Palin and Perry front. Though, she cautioned, “that does not necessarily mean that they are not considering running.”

Perry is also said to be mulling a presidential bid. Though not entirely surprising, he hasn’t been making inroads in Iowa either, according to these three sources. Until just days ago, his key advisers — Dave Carney and Rob Johnson — were aligned with the Newt Gingrich campaign.

Still, said Funk, “I am a bit surprised at this point that the Perry people are not trying to pick off the county Republican leadership.”