Iowa Republican Party

Mitt Romney will not participate in the Iowa straw poll this summer, a possible sign that he will not make a full-fledged effort to win that state's leadoff nominating contests in 2012. In a statement issued Thursday evening, Romney's campaign said it had decided not to participate in any straw polls, "whether it's in Florida, Iowa, Michigan or someplace else. " But Iowa's Ames straw poll, scheduled for August, is far and away the most important, particularly to activists who will have the first say in helping choose the Republican nominee.

It seems early to be talking about the 2012 presidential election -- after all, we haven't even had the 2010 congressional one -- but this is Iowa we're talking about. You know, first in the nation, caucus state, informed voters. So more than a few political commentators took notice Wednesday when Iowa Republicans announced that Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty will be the headline speaker at the "Leadership for Iowa" event at the State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Nov. 7, where he will share the stage with Republican candidates for governor.

The National Rifle Assn.'s second-ranking officer boasted at a closed meeting of NRA members earlier this year that if Republican nominee George W. Bush wins in November, "we'll have . . . a president where we work out of their office." First Vice President Kayne Robinson added that the NRA enjoys "unbelievably friendly relations" with the Texas governor. Robinson, who is also chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, made the comments Feb. 17 before 300 members in Los Angeles.