With six candidates seeking the Republican nomination in Iowa’s open third Congressional district, I’ve decided to focus on individual campaigns rather than news roundups on the whole field at once. Robert Cramer’s up first, since he is already running his introductory ad on television.
Cramer is defining himself as the business mind in the field, not a bad place to be in a GOP primary. Although he is emphasizing his connection to “conservative principles and enduring values,” he is downplaying his social conservative activism. If you need any proof that Bob Vander Plaats’ ship has sailed, even in Iowa Republican circles, look no further than Cramer’s case to primary voters.
Quick reminder of Cramer’s competition in the IA-03 primary, in alphabetical order: Des Moines teacher Joe Grandanette, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, Iowa Renewable Energy Association Executive Director and longtime Iowa GOP official Monte Shaw, Senator Chuck Grassley’s former chief of staff David Young, and State Senator Brad Zaun.
Grandanette, Shaw, and Zaun all have experience running businesses or at least working in the corporate world, but none of them can afford paid advertising yet. That gives Cramer an opportunity to portray himself as a leader who helped his family business expand and thrive.
I knew little about Cramer until Governor Terry Branstad appointed him to the Iowa Board of Regents in 2013. Most of the Iowa Senate Democrats voted against confirming him, citing his collaboration with Vander Plaats to overturn marriage equality, his celebration of ousting three Iowa Supreme Court justices in 2010, and his efforts to remove at least one classic book from school libraries while serving on the Johnston Community School Board.
You wouldn’t glean any of that history from the campaign materials I’ve seen so far. Here’s an excerpt from the official bio at Cramer for Congress:
In 1990, I graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Construction Engineering. I went on to become a Licensed Professional Engineer by passing the Civil P.E. exam in 1996.
I went to work full-time for our family-owned business, Cramer and Associates, Inc. (www.cramerandassociatesinc.com) immediately out of college as an estimator, engineer, safety officer and EEO officer. Cramer and Associates, Inc. is a bridge construction company working in Iowa, Nebraska, and Missouri. In 1991, I was put on the management team and on the board of directors.
In 2000, we went through the transition where the three founders began to retire. My cousin, Dan Cramer, and I began to share the position of President of the company. I am the President/Chief Administrative Officer primarily in charge of the estimating, engineering, project management, safety, human resources, and managing the office. Dan is the President/Chief Operating Officer primarily responsible for getting the work done.
Since coming to the Management Team in 1991, Cramer and Associates, Inc. has grown from $5-7 million in annual volume to over $50 million.
My wife, Lori, and I have a daughter Lauren and a son Rob. Lori is a stay-at-home mom and stays very busy at the school and caring for foster children in our home. We have had a total of 16 children in our home over the last few years.
Cramer’s bio then lists thirteen boards and committees, starting with the Johnston school board, where “I served on the committees dealing with the finances and with the construction/maintenance of the buildings.” The bio then lists Cramer’s leading positions in groups associated with construction engineering and/or general contracting. Readers who scroll to the very bottom find this: “The Family Leader (TFL) (2010-present) (www.thefamilyleader.com) TFL is a pro-family organization educating the public, state leaders, and churches on issues relating to the family.” Vander Plaats’ name is not mentioned. Cramer reportedly took a leave of absence from The FAMiLY Leader in order to run for Congress.
Cramer announced plans to run for Congress in January, touting himself as a “full spectrum conservative candidate.” At his official campaign kickoff in early February, the candidate emphasized a pro-business agenda, not a social agenda.
During his speech, Cramer railed against government waste, overspending and burdensome regulations. He said repealing Obamacare is one of his key goals and the president’s signature healthcare law symbolizes everything the federal government should not be doing.
“It’s taxing too much, it’s spending too much, it’s mandating too much, so we need to get that thing under control,” Cramer told the media after his speech.
Cramer also said he had no specific plans to introduce legislation on social issues “It seems on that case, we’ve been on the defensive a lot and just trying to defend where we are now,” he added.
You can watch Cramer’s opening speech as a Congressional candidate here.
To my knowledge, Vander Plaats has not done any public events for Cramer. Talk radio host Steve Deace, one of the leading supporters of Vander Plaats during the 2010 gubernatorial primary, is backing Cramer and spoke to the crowd before his campaign launch.
Cramer’s Facebook feed shows that he has attended many events around IA-03 these past two months. He spoke to Republican activists at the the Polk, Warren, and Madison County conventions, and addressed groups from Christian homeschoolers to the Westside Conservative Breakfast Club. I haven’t seen anything focused on “family” issues like abortion or same-sex marriage on Cramer’s Facebook page. His policy comments have mostly attacked Obamacare, with occasional posts bashing the 2009 federal stimulus bill and other Obama administration budget and tax policies.
On March 20, Cramer became the first GOP candidate in IA-03 to start running television commercials. (Zaun had previously released a slick campaign video, but it only ran online.)
“Blueprint” is a solid introductory piece in my opinion.
My annotated transcript:
[viewer sees drawing of U.S. Capitol in white against a blue grid background, like an architectural drawing]
Male voice-over: Robert Cramer’s bleueprint for fixing Washington didn’t come from a career in politics. [drawing of is labeled “Washington DC” with the word “politicians” and an arrow pointing toward the Capitol]
It came from his work, growing the bridge-building company his father started 50 years ago. Solving problems and creating jobs. [Viewer sees footage of Cramer leaning over a table, discussing some papers with people, then footage of a bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists with part of the downtown Des Moines skyline in the background, then footage of the bridge from a different angle, so viewers see the Wells Fargo Arena, then Cramer sitting and working. Some awards Cramer has received are visible on his desk. Words on screen: Family Business, Grew Revenue Tenfold, Robert Cramer]
It came from his home as a husband, father, and foster parent. [Footage of framed wedding photo, then framed photos of Cramer’s two children. Words on screen: Husband, Father, 16 Foster Children, Robert Cramer]
Teaching conservative principles and enduring values. [A few snapshots of Cramer with various people, words on screen: Conservative Principles, Enduring Values, Robert Cramer]
That’s Robert Cramer’s blueprint for fixing Washington. Problem solving. Principles. Not politics. Robert Cramer for Congress. [Blue grid backdrop that looks like architectural paper; drawing of Capitol appears in lower right corner. Words on screen: THE ROBERT CRAMER BLUEPRINT Problem solving, Principles, Not Politics]
Cramer’s voice: I’m Robert Cramer, and I approved this message. [View of Cramer looking into camera with part of downtown Des Moines bridge in the background]
This commercial can only help Cramer. It’s a little cookie-cutter, but the visuals are nice. Many Des Moines area bicyclists and pedestrians appreciate the beautiful and functional footbridge near the Wells Fargo Arena. The project reflects well on the company that built it. I had no idea that was Cramer’s firm.
While Cramer isn’t running away from his conservative identity, emphasizing his family is quite different from defining himself as a culture warrior who took on the “homosexual agenda” and Maya Angelou’s memoir. You’d never guess he was board president of an organization that threw a fit over the Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth.
Cramer was smart to place this ad before local networks become cluttered with political spots closer to the June 3 primary. U.S. Senate candidate Mark Jacobs is the only other Republican running a lot of commercials now. Senate candidate Joni Ernst’s hog-castration ad went up on March 25, but only with a small buy on Fox News.
Any comments about the IA-03 race are welcome in this thread.