While hundreds of prominent Republicans around the country have endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president, no well-known GOP activists in Iowa had joined their ranks—until today.
Dawn Roberts, who was one of three co-chairs for Nikki Haley’s Iowa caucus campaign, announced her support for Harris in a letter first published September 20 in Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck column on Substack, and a few hours later by the Des Moines Register.
A lifelong Republican, Roberts was Polk County co-chair for then Governor Robert Ray’s campaigns and served as state co-chair for Gerald Ford’s 1976 presidential campaign. She became the first woman to lead the Polk County Republicans and was the GOP nominee for Iowa secretary of state in 1986.
Roberts wrote in her endorsement letter that she was impressed by how Harris “showed a willingness to listen to a wider range of views to solve problems.” The vice president allowed people with different political perspectives, including some Republicans, to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
At a news conference, she said she would consider having a Republican in her cabinet. All of these statements lead me to believe that she truly has the skills needed to bring us together as a country and hopefully the world. I heard her articulate that she has always brought groups of diverse individuals and opinions together to solve problems. That is a healthier and wiser way to lead.
At the debate, she continued to impress looking at the audience and emphasizing bringing the country together rather than divide, to lift people up rather than tear people down.
Dawn Roberts was married to Steve Roberts, a former Iowa GOP state chair who represented Iowa on the Republican National Committee for 20 years. She wrote, “Steve passed away on Nov. 7, 2020, after 55 years of marriage. While I miss him every day, I’m often thankful that he didn’t live to see what happened to our nation’s Capitol on January 6th, 2021.”
She also wrote that her husband “often questioned why the United States is one of the few countries that has never had a female president. I think the time is now and Kamala Harris is the person to lead our country into the future.”
The current Iowa GOP state chair, Jeff Kaufmann, has lambasted Republicans who are reluctant to get on the Donald Trump train. In an April speech to a GOP event in Jones County, he said he was getting impatient with lifelong Republicans who say they don’t know how they will vote for president. “You picked a team!” he reminded the audience.
Alluding to GOP moderates who feel alienated by MAGA Republicans, Kaufmann acknowledged in those remarks, “I know I’m going to offend some soccer moms, oh Lord, help me. I understand, and I’m probably going to offend a few people that were on the Gerald Ford campaign in ’76. Whatever! I’m a history teacher, and I really don’t care.”
State Representative Austin Harris, also a Haley endorser before the Iowa caucuses, told the Des Moines Register on September 20 that he is still backing Trump, having told his constituents he would support the GOP nominee. Others who held senior roles on Haley’s Iowa campaign did not respond to the Register’s inquiries.
The latest Iowa Poll by Selzer & Co for the Des Moines Register and Mediacom indicated that Trump leads Harris statewide by 47 percent to 43 percent among likely Iowa voters. The Democratic nominee was ahead by 53 percent to 36 percent among women respondents. The “best groups” for Harris were voters with a college degree and those who live in the suburbs.