Liz Mair, a political adviser recently hired by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), resigned from her position after the Iowa Republican Party demanded that she step down, the Associated Press reported.
Mair criticized Iowa and its role as the first caucus state on Twitter, leading Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kauffman to call her “shallow and ignorant.”
“The tone of some of my tweets concerning Iowa was at odds with that which Gov. Walker has always encouraged in political discourse,” Mair said in a statement to the Associated Press. “I wish Gov. Walker and his team all the best.”
During an Iowa forum with potential 2016 candidates in January, Mair wrote on Twitter, “in other news, I see Iowa is once again embarrassing itself, and the GOP, this morning. Thanks guys.”
She also opined on ethanol subsidies in 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
Mair was hired by Walker’s team to handle online communications for his potential presidential campaign. Mair said on Twitter Wednesday morning that she would continue to work as a strategist with her firm, but for a new client.
Following the Associated Press report that Mair resigned from her role with Walker’s national operation, she defended her statements on Twitter.
1. The “morons” I was referring to in that 1 tweet were Ds who were feigning surprise at an Iowa family having benefited from farm subsidies
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) March 18, 2015
I was not calling Iowans morons. And if you read the tweet, and look at the online discussion around the time it was made, that’s obvious.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) March 18, 2015
Oh, and finally, re: IA caucuses, I’ll just say that I’m not a huge fan of the choose-by-convention/choose-by-caucus system…
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) March 18, 2015
Mair also took the opportunity to criticize Rep. Steve King (R-IA), who hosted the Iowa Freedom Summit in January.
I do find some of the things Steve King says on immigration embarrassing and factually dubious.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) March 18, 2015
For example, I do not think his 1-100 ratio on DREAMER valedictorians to DREAMER drug mules is mathematically correct.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) March 18, 2015
I also think the fact that King is held out as the only real force in Iowa and representative of what Iowans think is embarassing for Iowa.
— Liz Mair (@LizMair) March 18, 2015
She a communicator alright!
I like her !
But what does a nice girl, like her, do in a place like that ?
She had me until she went all cult-ish with her “some of the things I said were at odds with what Walker believes” nonsense. I think she was echoing what the people inside the zombieWalker camp were thinking but made the mistake of saying it out loud.
I’m sure she will find a way to burrow herself back in the club though. Quietly, of course.
First rule of Fight Club is… never talk about Fight Club.
Obviously, someone who says what she thinks is a liability to an aspiring presidential campaign.
But she’s certainly got Steve King’s number and I can see why the Iowa GOP insisted she had to go. Iowa Republicans can’t do anything about the message so they can only shoot the messenger. And they certainly couldn’t afford to wait around until she got to Joni Ernst.