The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party is demanding that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) fire a newly hired adviser who was mocking the state and its first-in-the-nation caucus on Twitter as recently as January.
The target of the state party’s ire is Washington-based GOP strategist Liz Mair, who was added to Walker’s team this week to handle online outreach for his expected presidential campaign. Mair had previously worked for the Republican National Committee and advised Walker during his recall election.
“It’s obvious she doesn’t have a clue what Iowa’s all about,” state GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann said, according to The New York Times. “I find her to be shallow and ignorant,” Kaufmann continued, “and I’ll tell you, if I was Governor Walker, I’d send her her walking papers.”
Kaufmann’s comments come in response to a number of critical tweets Mair wrote about Iowa and the outsized role its caucus plays in presidential primaries.
In January, during an Iowa forum of likely 2016 presidential hopefuls that included Walker, Mair tweeted “in other news, I see Iowa is once again embarrassing itself, and the GOP, this morning. Thanks guys.”
She then wrote a followup tweet.
The sooner we remove Iowa’s frontrunning status, the better off American politics and policy will be.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) January 24, 2015
She also weighed in on ethanol subsidies as it related to Iowa.
Morons across America are astounded to learn that people from *IOWA* grow up rather government-dependent. #agsubsidies #ethanol #brainless
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) January 22, 2015
Other Iowa GOP chairs were miffed as well.
“We play nice in Iowa,” Polk County Republican Party co-chairwoman Sherill Whisenand told the New York Times. “That’s like slapping someone down who’s in your home.”
TPM reached out to the Walker camp and Mair for a response but did not immediately hear back.
Walker has no margin for error in Iowa,even though she’s right. Iowa is a must-win for him.
Morons across Liz Mair’s Living Room are astounded to learn that corporations are rather dependent on government subsidies and tax breaks.
That’s gonna leave a mark.
I find her to be shallow and ignorant too but she’s right about Iowa.
“to handle online outreach for his expected presidential campaign.”
Where do they come up with these terms! Jeebus.
But I’ll tell you what’s really wrong with Iowa and Wisconsin:
IO/WI Total population 8.8 million U.S.Senators 4
NY/CA Total population 59 million U.S. Senators 4