Trump Scheduled to Headline Iowa Republican Dinner

Two weeks after dispatching a top aide to meet with Iowa State Republican Chairman Matt Strawn, Donald Trump has been invited by Strawn to headline the state’s annual Lincoln Day Dinner as the keynote speaker. Strawn stated that the invitation was extended in order to give Trump the opportunity to introduce himself to the activists within the Party.

It is highly unlikely that the Republican Chairman of the state with the first in the nation caucus would extend such an opportunity to someone who is not leaning towards a run for President.

Trump has himself stated that because of FEC laws, he will wait to make a final decision on a run for President until the season end of The Apprentice, his reality television show. But he has not held back on making it known that he believes the country will be in big if we don’t get the right kind of leadership that it needs. He has also reveals that many people have been wanting him to run for President for years now.

The Trump Factor

If “The Donald” does run, in addition to a degree of comic relief and Palin-like bluntness, he will certainly inject an unmatched level of interest and attention into the Republican presidential race. He will also prove to be a factor that will upend election predictions. Many states have open primaries which allow Independents to vote in their primaries or caucuses. Some even allow Democrats to participate. It is in these states that Donald Trump will confound pollsters and make it harder for the establishment candidates to focus their campaigns on the traditional Republican base alone. Trump will surely attract many independent and even Democrat voters to voting for him in these open primaries. As such, he could easily offset a split vote among the more traditional Republican candidates with a substantial Independent and Democrat vote.

The candidate who will probably be most hurt by a Donald Trump candidacy is Mitt Romney. One of Romney’s most attractive attributes is his private sector experience as a successful businessman. The Trump brand and empire will naturally force a comparison that could dilute Romney’s positive lock on that attribute.