Thompson announces candidacy for state treasurer

Election Day was good for the Republican Party of Iowa, who won the presidential race, maintained our congressional delegation and won the Iowa Senate chamber with six new seats.

Election night left the Iowa Democratic Party in pretty bad shape ahead of a 2018 cycle that looks pretty grim for liberals.

Five Democratic U.S. senators will be on the ballot in bright red states with just as many battleground races. Iowa has no U.S. Senate race.

Democrats are also prioritizing winning state legislatures in places like Pennsylvania and North Carolina to attempt to gerrymander U.S. House seats after the census. They have determined that Iowa has a redistricting system they can’t manipulate, so we fall out of that equation, too. Both parties will be on their own next cycle for field organization, mail and media.

To win in 2012, Obama campaigned hard on social issues like anti-gun and anti-Christian rights which essentially made the two-party system urban versus rural voters.

There were many Iowa families who held resentment for decades towards Reagan because they felt abandoned during the farm crisis. They felt Bush sent us to war. But when the top issues for Democrats became restricting guns and making new bathroom laws, they decided they were more concerned about jobs.

Trump’s economic message appealed to folks in a simple way that will make a lasting impact.

The Republicans will be on their own next cycle, too. The national party isn’t gong to come in with a swing state budget and one of their top campaign guys to organize our effort.

We have money, incumbents and energy but we need to lead the effort ourselves while simultaneously conducting a primary season for governor to choose our new quarterback. (Unless Branstad is running again.)

With that in mind, I’m announcing my candidacy for state treasurer.

We need to stop the myth of balanced budgets that don’t consider unfunded pension liabilities.

We need to help Iowans save for college so they can finish school with opportunity instead of debt.

And we need to organize our ticket early to capture the momentum created this year so we do not have to start over in 2018.

After our gubernatorial primary, Republicans need the organization and infrastructure up to speed so that we can continue onward to victory in November.  

A party driven by conservatives will continue to create policy that gets out of people’s way so that they can continue to make Iowa a great state to live, work and raise a family. Our biggest danger at this point is tearing our own party apart in a way that creates an opportunity for the Democrats as they rebuild.

I’ve had some sensational life challenges that have tested my mettle.  

I need to take the time to allow Iowans to get to know me all over the state to gain enough support to become the trustee of our state finances.

I’m going to continue to do what I can to help our generation fulfill our patriotic duty and leave our state better than we found it.
Godspeed!

John Thompson, of Jefferson, serves on the State Central Committee for the Republican Party of Iowa and is a 1997 graduate of Jefferson-Scranton High School.