JOHN McCAIN 2008, INC. (March 1, 2007)
JOHN McCAIN 2008 - THE EXPLORATORY COMMITTEE  (filed with the FEC to establish on Nov. 16, 2006)
STRAIGHT TALK AMERICA (2006 cycle)
Headquarters:  2335 70th Street, Urbandale, IA 50322
See also: The campaign before the July 2, 2007 restructuring.

Chairman

David Roederer

(announced by Straight Talk America on Sept. 22, 2006)  Chair of the Lamberti for Congress Committee and the Vaudt for State Auditor Committee.  Chaired the Iowa Bush-Cheney 2004 campaign.  Managing partner of StrataVizion, Inc. in Des Moines.  Served as the Economic Development Coordinator for Iowa State University.  Chief of staff for Gov. Terry Branstad, 1991-95; campaign manager for Gov. Branstad, 1990-91.  Director of the Iowa Department of Commerce, 1988-90.  B.A. from the University of Northern Iowa, 1973.  [Also, in the private sector Roederer worked for two and a half years in Saudi Arabia designing a national law enforcement agency for a Lockheed Martin company].
 
 

State Director

Jon Seaton

Served as the McCain campaign's national field director prior to the July 2, 2007 restructuring.  Associate director (West/Northern Plains) in the White House Office of Political Affairs.  Executive director of Bush-Cheney '04 in Washington State.  Field representative at the National Association of Realtors®.  Worked at the National Republican Congressional Committee and in the first part of 2002 he managed John Redwine's primary campaign in Iowa's 5th CD.  He worked on the field teams of the National Federation of Independent Business and Associated Builders and Contractors.  Graduate of the University of Colorado.
 
 

Deputy State Director

Marlys Popma

(exploratory committee announced Popma as a supporter Dec. 1, 2006)  Currently president of IHS (In His Service) Consulting.  A two-time executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa, as well as its political director and Victory director.  Has served as president of Iowa Right to Life and as executive director of the Iowa Family Policy Center.  National deputy political director for Gary Bauer for President in 1999-2000.  Deputy Iowa campaign manager for Phil Gramm’s 1996 presidential campaign.  Popma has also worked for the campaigns of Congressman Jim Ross Lightfoot, and the gubernatorial campaigns of Terry Branstad and Jim Nussle.  Resident of Lynnville (Jasper County).
 
 

Veterans Director

Joel Arends

J.D. from the University of South Dakota, 2006. Iraqi War veteran.  Ran for State House against Rep. Steve Warnstadt (D) of Sioux City in 2000. Bush 2000 field staffer. B.A. in political science from the University of South Dakota.
 

Regional Field Directors
Grant Young
Political director on Jeff Lamberti's '06 congressional campaign.  Regional field representative for Polk and surrounding counties on Bush-Cheney '04.  Director of organization on Greg Ganske for U.S. Senate campaign in 2002; director of organization on Stan Thompson for Congress.  Field organizer on Gov. Bush's 2000 Iowa caucus campaign.

Bryan Humphreys
Worked for the MN GOP in the 2006 cycle.

Andy Van Zee
Field organizer on Jim Nussle's 2006 gubernatorial campaign.

Emma Nemecek
2nd CD Regional Field Director  on Sen. Sam Brownback's campaign (announced March 14, 2007; left after the Straw Poll).  Small business owner and is president and CEO of Music 2 Link US Productions, Inc., in Mount Vernon.  Ran for the Iowa House of Representatives against Ro Foege (District 29) in 2006.  Chair of the Iowa chapter of the National Federation of Filipino American Republicans and former president of the Cedar Rapids Filipino American Association.  Nemecek is also a member of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women.  Came to the United States in the post-Marcos period.  B.S. in Management from Colegio de San Agustin in the Philippines.  Filipino native, born into poverty in Basilan City, Philippines.

Andy Swanson
 
 

Events

Lynn McRoberts

 

Grassroots Advisor

Jay Heine

Iowa state director on Sen. Sam Brownback's campaign until it ended on Oct. 19, 2007.  Regional field director on Bob Vander Plaats' gubernatorial campaign in 2005-early 2006 and on his 2002 gubernatorial campaign.  Worked on Tom Latham's 2000 campaign after helping out on the Bush campaign in several states.  B.A. in history from Briar Cliff University, 1996.  Native of Hartington, NE.
 
 

Office Manager/Social Conservative Outreach

Maxine Sieleman

(announced as a supporter on Jan. 17, 2007)  Social conservative leader.  Her daily news/talk radio program, "Update Today" first aired on KWKY, a Des Moines Christian radio station, in 1982.  The show currently reaches 90 of Iowa's 99 counties and can be heard worldwide on the Internet.  Sieleman founded the Iowa chapter of Concerned Women for America in 1985.
 
 

Regional Chairs (announced Sept. 6, 2007)
Bob Abel of Fort Madison, SE Iowa Chair

Melanie Bates of Council Bluffs, SW Iowa Chair

De Byerly of Mason City, Northern Iowa Chair

Jim Goff of Davenport, East Central Iowa Regional Chair

Isaiah McGee of Waukee, Central Iowa Chair

Barb Smelzer of Dubuque, NE Iowa Regional Chair

Jerry Tweeten of Forest City, Northern Iowa co-Chair

Richard "Doc" Zortman of Sioux City, NW Iowa Chair

County Leadership
(May 3, 2007) - Mississippi Valley Leadership Team comprising backers from Dubuque County south along the Mississippi River to Lee County on the Missouri border.
(June 7, 2007) - North Iowa Leadership Team comprising backers from Cerro Gordo County and several adjacent counties.
(June 21, 2007) - leadership organization in Marion and Jasper counties.
(July 9, 2007) - Plymouth County Leadership Team.
 
 

Iowa Students for McCain
On August 14, 2007 the campaign announced members of the Iowa Students for McCain coalition.
 

Iowa Health Care Coalition Leadership (announced October 12, 2007)
Dr. Kelly Wren, Chair
Robert Hopkins, P.A.
Teresa Long, R.N.
Angela Peterman, P.A.
Dr. John Wright, M.D.
 

Iowans of Faith for McCain Coalition Leadership (announced Dec. 27, 2007)
Co-Chair is Phil Carroll, Pastor of Grace Church in Des Moines  more >
 

Iowa Veterans Advisory Committee
On April 12, 2007 the campaign announced its Iowa Veterans Advisory Committee, headed by Colonel Bud Day (Ret.) as Honorary Chair and Major General Evan Curly Hultman (Ret.) as Chair.  Also, on June 27, 2007 the campaign announced endorsements of 10 former generals.   Note: Back on Oct. 30, 2006 the PAC announced Iowa Veterans Advisory Committee with Hultman as Chairman and Richard Goebel of Dubuque as Co-Chairman.  (Goebel is not on the new list).
 

Iowa Mayors for McCain leadership team
On April 2, 2007 the campaign announced support of 23 mayors "from both rural and urban communities and draws upon each of Iowa’s five congressional districts."
On May 7, 2007 the campaign announced suport of Davenport Mayor Edwin Winborn.
Mayor since Jan. 2006.  Served 19 years on the Scott County Board of Supervisors and 11 years as its chairman.  Has also served as Scott County Recorder, chairman of the Scott County Solid Waste Commission, chairman of the Bi-State Metropolitan Commission, and vice-chairman of the Quad City Development Group.  Private sector experience as the owner and operator of Winborn's Sporting Goods.  M.B.A. from the University of Iowa.  Vietnam veteran.  Graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.  Davenport native.
 
 

On April 26, 2007, in conjunction with his announcement tour, the McCain campaign released a list "Iowa Leadership Organization."

Supporters
De Byerly
(announced Feb. 2, 2007)  Grassroots coordinator for Bob Vander Plaats' gubernatorial campaign (through Feb. 2006); grassroots coordinator for Bush-Cheney ’04 in Iowa; campaign manager for Bill Salier’s primary campaign for the U.S. Senate in 2002.   Past Iowa caucus experience includes work for both John Kasich and Steve Forbes' presidential campaigns.  Byerly also served as chairwoman of the Cerro Gordo County Republican Party and as a 2nd District representative to the Republican Party of Iowa's state central committee.  Activist for Iowa Right to Life, Iowa Christian Alliance, and the National Rifle Association (NRA).
 
 

Iowa Legislative Advisory Team
On Oct. 5, 2006, Straight Talk America announced that thirteen state legislators had joined together to form the Iowa Legislative Advisory Team for the PAC.
Sen. Larry McKibben, Sen. John Putney, Sen. Pat Ward, Sen. Mark Zieman; Rep. Rich Anderson, Rep. Dave Heaton, Rep. Steve Lukan, Rep. Mike May, Rep. Rod Roberts, Rep. Bill Schickel, Rep. Doug Struyk, Rep. David Tjepkes, and Rep. Walt Tomenga.
Notes:
-On Oct. 6, 2005 the Des Moines Register's Tom Beaumont reported that Rep. Dave Heaton of Mount Pleasant had not endorsed McCain.  Beaumont wrote that Heaton said he "would remain neutral indefinitely and was 'very disappointed' by the error."
-Reps. Doug Struyk (Council Bluffs) and David Tjepkes (Gowrie) switched to Romney (announced on April 4, 2007 as part of his Iowa Legislative Leadership Team.
 
 

also see
Straight Talk Iowa Style (an independent blog, not connected to the campaign)
 

Copyright © 2006, 2007  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action