Rob Portman's Iowa tour
Ohio U.S. Sen. Rob Portman did a full circuit in Iowa – he came bearing gifts, gave several speeches to activists, praised top GOP leaders here, toured a prominent business with its executives, stumped for two federal candidates, and talked about how Republicans can win the White House in 2016.
And he brought along his wife, Jane, to check out the first-in-the-nation presidential voting state.
Although he was a finalist to be Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate in 2012, and served as Romney's sparring partner in debate preparation, he didn't come here last presidential election cycle.
Portman's publicly-stated mission for being here Thursday and Friday was to press Iowans to vote for Joni Ernst, Iowa's Republican U.S. Senate candidate, even though few people here recognize him.
He had a packed schedule. On Thursday, he hopped on Ernst's campaign bus for the trip from Sioux City to Des Moines. That night, he did a pep-rally-like Ernst fundraiser that drew about 150 attendees to the Stine Party Barn in West Des Moines. He handed Ernst $42,900 in checks he had collected for her across the country. (He's the National Republican Senatorial Committee's national finance chair.)
"Joni Ernst could be the majority maker," he said on Friday morning during in an hour-long interview with The Des Moines Register. "The majority in our United States Senate could well be determined here in Iowa."
If the GOP reclaims power, "we'd be in a position to put together a Republican agenda with the House that we cannot do now," Portman said, "because Majority Leader (Harry) Reid and Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi are blocking the vast majority of the bills the House passes. So people don't sense the Republicans have an agenda or even a message sometimes. I think we need to change that in order to win in 2016."
Asked about his own prospects for a presidential bid in 2016, Portman said: "I'm totally focused on 2014 now."
"As you can tell," he said, eating a blueberry croissant at Caribou Coffee on Ingersoll Avenue in Des Moines, "I've been in I think eight states already and I'll probably be in another five or six before the end of this month. That's my focus. Getting this majority is, I think, the first important step toward turning this country around, and frankly, winning in 2016. But after the election I'll take a look at it. I am worried about the direction of our country. And that's my passion. But I'm going to wait until after the election."
It was at least his fourth time in the state. He campaigned here in the 2004 presidential race as a surrogate for George W. Bush. He remembers a really cold January.
And he has been the guest of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley twice – once as the U.S. trade representative, touring the Iowa State Fair with 60 ambassadors. Trailing Grassley through the fairgrounds was "like following a rock star through Hollywood." Barbara Grassley, "the first lady of the Iowa State Fair," was there, too, he said.
Another time, he helped Grassley set up an anti-drug coalition, he said.
Portman, who has been an Ohio senator since 2011, said there are several things the GOP could do quickly if they hold the U.S. Senate majority. He snapped his fingers.
One, he said, is to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. It would be biggest infrastructure project in the country, he said, and it would both create jobs and have a positive affect on gas prices. The president might veto it, but the Senate might have enough votes for the pipeline for an override, he said.
Two, he said, is to open new markets for overseas trade. Because about a third of what Iowa farmers produce is sold overseas, they're concerned access to foreign markets, he said.
"They'd like to see some of the trade barriers get knocked down," said Portman, who served in 2005 as the United States Trade Representative, a Cabinet-level position.
Republicans would immediately give Obama "trade promotion authority," restoring an ability that every other president since Franklin Roosevelt has had, he said.
While in Iowa, Portman did a fundraiser for U.S. House candidate David Young, dropping off $5,000 in out-of-state checks for the Republican. He was the special guest on the Republicans' nightly victory telephone conference call. He stopped by EMC Insurance. He addressed about 40 Republican activists and donors at party headquarters at a lunch organized by Matt Strawn, a former Iowa GOP chairman.
He met at the Iowa Capitol with Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds. He praised Branstad's political skills and governing skills. "I'm a fan of focusing on results," he said. Portman got to know Reynolds when she was considering seeking the U.S. Senate nomination. Reynolds opted not to run. "I enjoyed seeing her again, too," he said.
Asked about how Iowans have received him, he said: "It's been great. We haven't met anyone we don't really like. Friendly reception. Great people."
When Portman took off, he left behind one of his staffers. His communications director, Caitlin Conant, will be in Iowa until the Nov. 4 election to aid the Ernst campaign.