Pawlenty And Santorum To Attend Event By Ralph Reed Organization

Ralph Reed
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A group of potential Republican presidential contenders will be headed to Iowa to hold court with a very notable political strategist of the Christian right: Ralph Reed, onetime executive director of the Christian Coalition, and prominent figure in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.

The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition, a division of Reed’s national Faith & Freedom Coalition, will be holding an event in Waukee on March 7. Reed himself plans to attend, according to the group’s press release.

Confirmed to attend are Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain, plus former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer. Also, state-level Republicans such as Gov. Terry Branstad and Congressman Steve King.

Reed is a longtime power-broker in politics on the Christian right, serving as the first executive director of the Christian Coalition in the 1990s. He previously ran for lieutenant governor of Georgia in 2006. Although he started out in a strong position, his campaign was derailed as the Abramoff scandal widened, with e-mails showing his own communications with Abramoff.

Notably, Reed was alleged to have mounted an anti-gambling campaign to stop an expansion by a Native American tribe, while he was employed by another tribe with an established gambling presence.

Reed lost the Republican primary to state Sen. Casey Cagle by a margin of 56%-44%.

(Via Iowa Independent)

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