Shots fired at Jasper County GOP trap shoot

Jasper County Republicans took shots at clay pigeons and Democrats this past weekend during the party's annual trap shoot fundraiser.

Several party-affiliated elected officials, incumbents up for re-election and candidates hoping to fill vacant or Democrat-controlled seats riled up supporters with brief speeches amidst the “pops” of shotgun fire. Gary Leffler, speaking for Sen. Joni Ernst, fired shots in his own, unique way.

Using giant signs to illustrate his points, Leffler began with a poster depicting what he believed to be the “winning team” of Ernst and Sen. Chuck Grassley. Then Leffler shared a similar poster of Grassley paired next to a “Democrat antagonist” donkey; the phrase “please not again” written was below the images.

“This is what the Democrats want to do!” Leffler shouted to the Republican crowd on Saturday morning. “They want to marry Chuck Grassley to another Democrat. Is that going to work for the great state of Iowa? Is that going to help us get conservative judges … appointed by President Trump? No!”

Carrying on with his speech, Leffler (whose famous patriotic-painted tractor was on full display at the trap shoot) hypothesized the Democrats’ plan to sell “apples and oranges” to Iowans. The apple, is this case, was U.S. Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and the orange was House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“See what’s happening here? Apples and oranges. And that’s what they’re trying to sell the great state of Iowa. But what are we going to get if they get elected? We’re going to get a box of lemons!” Leffler said.

Leffler presented two more signs designed as dollar bills. On the first “bill” was picture of Schumer wearing a dollar sign-print jacket with the phrases “abortion on demand,” “defund police” and “The Green New Deal” surrounding him. Also, Democratic candidate Theresa Greenfield’s face was pasted on each corner.

The second bill showcased Pelosi, whose clothing was also riddled with dollar signs. Her hair, too, was fashioned with curlers. She was surrounded by the same phrases. On each corner of the bill was the Democratic incumbent or candidate vying for Iowa’s congressional district seats.

“This is where they want to take our country,” Leffler said. “They do not want to change our country. They want to fundamentally destroy our country and say, ‘Hey! Look what we’ve done!’ … We’re not gonna let that happen on our watch! We’re not gonna let them get it done! I tell ya what, I am fired up.”

Keeping up with the trap shoot’s reputation of attracting top Republicans, the local party welcomed Iowa businesswoman and former contestant of “The Apprentice” Tana Goertz to speak on behalf of Trump. Before the trap shoot concluded, Goertz challenged the crowd to be “bold enough” to support Trump.

“Are you all bold enough to put on something that says, ‘Trump’? To wear a hat that says, ‘Trump’? To put a bumper sticker on your car that says, ‘Trump’? To talk to your neighbor about Trump? Because if you’re not bold enough to do that, then you can say goodbye to our country as you know it,” Goertz said.

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, who was also in attendance, thinks everyone shares the same goal regarding elections: it should be easy to vote but hard to cheat. Pate said he can judge how good his week is going to be when his attorney tells him how many lawsuits he has to deal with, referencing the recent suits against Johnson, Linn and Woodbury Counties by the Trump campaign.

“Seems like the Democrats can’t do it legislatively so they just keep suing and suing and suing,” Pate said. “But the good news is we’re winning and we’re winning and we’re winning. So we want to keep that up … I wanna tell ya, the Democrats don’t want to accept it. And that’s why they keep trying to push the envelope to come up with ways to get around it.”

After testing her skills behind the barrel of a shotgun, Sen. Mariannette Miller-Meeks told Republicans she is going to “flip” the Iowa Second Congressional District. She also spoke of her version of the “American Dream,” saying the opportunities that exist in the United States are not limited by nationality, race, creed, religion or socioeconomic class. “It does not matter,” she said.

Other speakers like Jasper County Supervisor Doug Cupples and Sen. Amy Sinclair spoke less so about themselves and more so about Republican candidate Jon Dunwell, who is running for Iowa House District 29 against incumbent Rep. Wes Breckenridge. They reiterated Dunwell’s campaign motto.

“It matters,” Dunwell said to local Republicans. “This election matters. Your vote matters. Your engagement matters. This is not a race about personalities and who’s the nicest guy in town. It’s about the issues. It’s about the things that are important to us.”

For Dunwell, anti-abortion legislation and laws that protect citizens’ Second Amendment rights are just some of those issues that matter to him and his fellow Republicans. He also toted the party for ushering in “the most COVID-resilient budget in the nation” with “fully funded reserves.”

Dunwell added, “And thank goodness the other party didn’t get their way. They would have added $2 billion of extra spending to the budget. It matters that I have a diverse experience, not only to nonprofits but the business world. Whereas my opponent has spent his entire life working only for government.”

The trap shoot serves as another platform for Republican voices to be heard, but its main function is to raise money for the local GOP and encourage volunteer work. Thad Nearmyer, chairperson of the Jasper County Republican Party, said the 2020 presidential election has brought in a lot of excitement, too.

“We’re seeing more people come to (Republican Party events) than we expect, and there are people we’ve never seen before — people from Jasper County that are just excited about the presidential race and supporting Republican candidates,” Nearmyer said. “But the Trump race is really driving enthusiasm.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com