8/22/2019 Does "Pay To Play" Mean The Death Knell For The Iowa Caucuses?

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Peter Waldron

August 7, 2013 contactamerica1@msn.com

727-415-7189 (cell)

DOES PAY TO PLAY MEAN THE DEATH KNELL FOR THE IOWA CAUCUSES?

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA- - Almost certainly unless Iowans demand radical change, says

whistleblower and longtime political consultant, Peter Waldron. He served as Rep. Michele

Bachmanns faith based organizer in Iowa 2011. His complaints with the FEC and the Iowa Senate

eventually lead to Bachmann refusing to stand for reelection in 2014.

The Sorenson scandal affects every republican because Iowa is recognized as first in the nation

among GOP voters. Voters in other state primaries and caucuses do not choose presidential

candidates in the fullest sense; they choose from among the top tier finishers in Iowa. The scandal is

local but its poison affects the national body politic.

The Sorenson scandal involved Sen. Kent Sorenson being paid to endorse and work for the Bachmann

for President campaign through a third party. Sorenson famously switched sides at the last

minute--going to the Ron Paul for President campaign--for what is now alleged to be a $100,000

payment to his political PAC.

The Supreme Court of Iowa appointed a special counsel to investigate the matter even before the

explosive Ron Paul payment which only this week came to light.

Both Republican and Democratic candidates invest millions of dollars in Iowa for the Ames straw poll

in August and the state caucuses the following January or February. Hundreds of out-of-state staff

members fly into airports, have extended stays in hotels, rent autos, dine in restaurants and travel

from Sioux City to Davenport during the heated campaigns to secure a majority in the straw poll. They

do this all over again, perhaps with even more vigor, in the caucuses because a win in Iowa attracts

money from major donors and galvanizes supporters in other states like South Carolina. How well a

candidate can do in this small, unrepresentative state can spell the difference between going

forward or dropping out.

National media, of course, blanket the state bringing an untold number of dollars to the Iowa

economy.

mailto:contactamerica1@msn.com

8/22/2019 Does "Pay To Play" Mean The Death Knell For The Iowa Caucuses?

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All this is at risk because of the pay for play actions first of the Bachmann for President campaign and

then, upping the ante, the Ron Paul for President campaign. Why should the rest of the nation put up

with Chicago-style political shenanigans? The short answer is they should not, which is why Iowans

must act if they want to retain their first in the nation status.

What happens in Iowa between presidential cycles is crucial. Iowa has a sacred duty, first to itself and

then the nation, to ensure its process is ethical and not for sale to the highest bidder.

Formal complaints filed by Waldron with the Federal Election Commission and Iowa Senate Ethics

Committee have prompted several agencies to include the F.B.I. and F.E.C. to launch independent

investigations, all of which are ongoing.

Observed Waldron: The simple, unavoidable fact is that Rep. Michele Bachmann and then Rep. Ron

Paul and their staffs were involved in paying Sen. Sorenson for his endorsement and support. This

violates the letter and spirit of Iowa Senate ethics rules which forbid senators from being

compensated by presidential campaigns.

Unless Iowa shows the nation it has taken decisive action to prevent sales of public office from

happening again, said Waldron, the national political parties should let another state caucus or

primary become the new first in the nation.

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