The Iowa Republican touts Newt's latest hires: "exceptional" and "impressive"

Earlier today, Newt rolled out his latest hires in the state that will hold the first nominating contest.

Of Katie Koberg, who was the Vice President of a Iowan fiscal conservative think tank until recently, Craig Robinson of The Iowa Republican said:

Koberg is an exceptional hire for Gingrich. With so many of Iowa’s political operatives now working in state government since the state has a Republican governor for the first time in over a decade, there are not that many operatives with a resume like Koberg’s out there for presidential candidates to choose from.

Over a span of almost six years, Koberg has developed contacts and relationships with legislative candidates across the state through here work at Iowans for Tax Relief. Those relationships, and her knowledge of the political landscape across the state, will be an asset for the Gingrich campaign.

Robinson had the following to say about Iowa House Speaker Pro Tempore Jeff Kaufmann:

Gingrich also announced that Rep. Jeff Kaufmann will serve as his senior policy advisor on Iowa related issues such as rural economies, agriculture and energy. Kaufmann is another impressive addition to Gingrich’s Iowa team. Kaufmann has a large following in eastern Iowa and was a huge asset to the campaigns of Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Terry Branstad.

Is the timing right for Newt to get in?

From RealClearPolitics:

Tim Albrecht, the communications director for Republican Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, suggested that Gingrich would be wise to jump in now and seize the political treasures that might be gained from being the most aggressive contender.

'Being the first candidate to announce carries with it a great opportunity to generate a lot of buzz with your entrance,' Albrecht said. 'It effectively means the staring match is over, and somebody blinked.'

Now that a major candidate appears ready to enter the race and begin to more actively seek out the services of aides and activists in Iowa, Albrecht said that his would-be rivals might not want to cede additional ground....

'This is still Iowa, and while some could be tempted to rely on media stories and paid advertising, someone like Newt understands grassroots politics and will work very actively to recruit precinct captains beginning on day one,' Albrecht said.

The last point Albrecht mentions is huge. Getting a strong grassroots organization going will be key.

That is how Barack Obama won Iowa in 2008.

Busy day for Gingrich in Iowa

Gingrich gave a speech today "to about 600 at the Iowa Renewable Fuel Association’s Summit in Des Moines."

Before the speech, Newt "met with House members, Senators, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds at the Iowa Capitol."

The headline from the speech was that he called for abolishing the Environmental Protection Agency, replacing it with an Environmental Solutions Agency, which "would encourage innovation, incentivize success and emphasize sound science and new technology over bureaucracy, regulation, litigation and restrictions on American energy."

At the end of the speech, Iowa House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer, about whom Newt has had very complimentary things to say, said, "I, for one, think that this is just the right guy to be president of the United States. And I think there’s a whole lot of people in this room who agree with me." Asked later about the meeting earlier in the day, she said there was no talk of a White House run, just "policy stuff." But, as Thomas Beaumont writes, "Upmeyer added: 'I’m a real fan. If he decides to run, I’m pretty likely to support him. I think he’s a solutions guy, an ideas guy. And that’s what I think we need.'"

Gingrich, should he run, also would have the support of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, who announced the news on Tuesday as well.