Last Tuesday I had the honor of joining my good friend, RNC Chairman Reince Priebus in "welcoming" President Obama back to Iowa with a new website: obamanomicsoutsourced.com. Ben Lange and I joined Reince in Cedar Rapids mere steps away from where President Obama spoke to unveil this new website which highlights all the the stimulus money that was spent overseas.

I encourage everyone to check out obamanomicsourced.com and share it with friends. It is truly astonishing how much of our money President Obama gave away to companies that not only do business overseas but weren't financially sound to begin with. Rather than talk about his own failed record, the president keeps talking about Governor Romney's tax records, but I am bewildered as to why I should care more about what Governor Romney does with his money than what President Obama does with mine.

In case you missed it, last Friday President Obama made an astounding statement about our nations innovators and job creators, saying "if you have a business, you didn't build that. Some one else made that happen." This is a slap in the face to every small business owner in American who risks capital and puts in long hours in order to make their business grow and create jobs. How can we expect our economy to grow if this is how the President of the United States speaks to our nation's job creators? It's time for a new President now, more than ever.

The Republican Party of Iowa's Legislative Campaign Committee, which is made up of 5 Senators, 5 Representatives, and 5 State Central Committee members, met last week and unanimously passed the House/Senate Majority Fund budgets/plans designed to retake the Senate and increase our House lead. This Monday I signed off on these budgets/plans. Thanks to everyone on the committee for their hard work. I am sure that with this budget plan in place we will be successful in our efforts this fall.

Be sure to stay tuned for exciting announcements in the coming weeks as we plan new programs so the Republican Party of Iowa has the best tools to ensure Republicans can win in November.

We had another busy week here at the Republican Party of Iowa. I would first like to congratulate our Organization Director, Ryan Gough on his new position as Iowa Victory Director. The Victory program is a joint effort with the RNC that will work with local grassroots supporters to elect Republican candidates on the national, state, and local level. I am confident that Ryan's leadership will help achieve victory this November. I think it speaks volumes of our staff here at RPI that so many have been recruited to take on larger leadership roles within our party.

Unfortunately the Chairman's Lunch for May has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict with the Lt. Governor. We look forward to rescheduling for a later date.

I just want to again reiterate the great success we have had in the pass few months, surpassing and now increasing our voter registration lead on the democrats in Iowa. We expect this lead to only increase as more and more Iowans reject President Obama's failed economic policies. The Republican Party of Iowa will be reaching out to disaffected democrats in the weeks and months ahead to grow our party even more.

As we ramp up our efforts for the fall, please consider donating $20.12 for Victory in 2012.

To Victory,

AJ Spiker, Chairman Republican Party of Iowa

I hope everyone is enjoying the nice spring weather! We had a great week at the Republican Party of Iowa. Last Wednesday we had over 40 people attend our Chairman's Lunch here at the headquarters. Unfortunately our original speakers Majority leader Upmeyer and House Speaker Paulsen were unavailable since they were busy battling the Democrats over the budget at the Capitol. Luckily Senator Zaun, Rep. Kaufman, and Agriculture Secretary Northy were able to join us for a great discussion about how we can continue to strengthen the Party this year.

Last Thursday I also had the opportunity to speak at the Green County GOP fundraiser. I want to thank Greene County GOP Chairman Roger Olhausen and co-chairman John Meyer for inviting me. I enjoyed meeting everyone in Greene County and it was great to see so many enthusiastic republicans.

Yesterday the Iowa Secretary of State released the latest voter registration numbers. I am pleased to report that we have increased our lead over the democrats! We now hold an almost 9,000 voter lead on the democrats in the state. The Republican Party will continue to reach out to disaffected democrats in the coming months and I am confident that this trend will only continue.

There is still time to get your tickets to the Lincoln Dinner! Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Obamacare's greatest foe is our featured speaker. Cuccinelli was the first state Attorney General to file a legal challenge to Obamacare. Other speakers will include Governor Branstad, Lt. Governor Reynolds, Senator Grassley, Congressman Latham, and Congressman King. Because this falls on Cinco de Mayo, we will have a reception from 6-7 pm complete with a margarita and daiquiri bar and a live band. The event will be held at Vets Auditorium Ballroom and tickets cost $75. To purchase tickets please call 515-282-8105 or visit www.iowagop.org.

To Victory

A.J. Spiker

Chairman, Republican Party of Iowa

Good Afternoon! As I am sure all of you are aware today is Tax Day. While I felt this year was especially painful, the next few years could be even worse if we don't work together to fight proposed tax increases. Please consider coming to one of the events listed below to hear how we can fight back.

Our Lincoln Dinner is fast approaching.  Come out on May 5 at 7 p.m. to hear featured speaker Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, the first state Attorney General to file a legal challenge to Obamacare. Other speakers will include Governor Brandstad, Lt. Governor Reynolds, Senator Grassley, Congressman Latham, and Congressman King. Because this falls on Cinco de Mayo, we will have a reception from 6-7 pm complete with a margarita and daiquiri bar and live band. The event will be held at Vets Auditorium Ballroom and tickets cost $75. To purchase tickets please call 515-282-8105 or visit www.iowagop.org.

Yesterday, the US Senate narrowly voted down President Obama's Buffet Tax. This is nothing more than a political gimmick designed to distract voters from President Obama's economic record. Please read my statement below praising the Senate for rejecting this measure.

"There is one thing you need to know about President Obama's Buffett Tax - it won't help a single Iowa family find a job. The facts are simple, President Obama has once again chosen politics over fixing the economy

"The President's hard sell on this tax has been all over the place. First, Obama claimed the Buffett Tax would, 'stabilize our debt and deficit for the next ten years,' and when that was proven false, he claimed it wasn't meant for deficit reduction. President Obama has changed his explanation for this tax no less than six times, but not once did he claim this tax would improve the economy or help folks find a job - and that's what this all boils down to - a shiny object that does nothing to help struggling Americans.

"President Obama should be focused on fixing the economy, but he's spending his time rolling out political gimmicks. This President is focused on saving one job - his own- and he's resorted to the politics of division and envy to achieve his goal.

"I applaud the Senate for voting down Obama's Buffett gimmick. Iowa families deserve better; they deserve real leadership and someone who is focused on helping Americans struggling in this economy."

Don't miss the Chairman's lunch, held at 12 p.m. April 25 at the Republican Party of Iowa Headquarters. The cost is $20 and to reserve a spot, please RSVP to rsvp@iowagop.org. This month's speakers will be House Speaker Kraig Paulsen and House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer. The Chairman's Lunch is held the last Wednesday of every month and is a great opportunity to increase communication between Iowans, elected leaders, and party officials.

To Victory,

A.J. Spiker

Chairman, Republican Party of Iowa