By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)
Jeff Kaufmann has been re-elected chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa.
Kaufmann has been the Iowa GOP’s leader for the past decade. On Friday night, President Trump posted a message on social media saying Kaufmann “is MAGA all the way” and has his “Complete and Total Endorsement.” This morning, the party’s State Central Committee unanimously voted to have Kaufmann lead the Iowa GOP for another two-year term.
“I believe I’ve got a mandate,” Kaufmann said after the vote, held at the party’s Des Moines headquarters. “I certainly have a mandate from Washington, D.C. and I’m going to be more straightforward.”
Kaufmann said he’s “going to a bit more edgy, like Trump,” in going after Democrats as well as Republicans who don’t unite behind the party’s General Election candidates. “Reminding Republicans that the role of the political party is to support the winner of the primary,” Kaufmann said.
Governor Kim Reynolds and Senator Joni Ernst haven’t said they’ll seek reelection, but are expected to run in 2026.
Kaufmann told the members of the state central committee he didn’t want to be “that guy” who stayed too long in the role of party chair and, during an interview this morning, Kaufmann said he had “many conversations” about accepting a role in the Trump Administration.
“At 62 years old with six grandchildren, I was not going to D.C.,” Kaufmann said. “I’m just not going to D,C. It’s not me.”
Kaufmann said he’s focused on winning Iowa elections in 2026 and there is no minority group or demographic the party shouldn’t try to win. Ensuring the Iowa Republican Party’s Caucuses are the first event in the 2028 presidential election is another priority.
“There is nothing more dear to my heart than ‘First in the Nation’ because I think without that, both parties have a ‘house of cards’ in terms of making a national contribution,” Kaufmann said.
Kaufmann cited Trump’s social media post, which mentioned Republican gains in Iowa during Kaufmann’s tenure, as a good indication Iowa’s Republican Caucuses will go first in 2028.
Last month, the Iowa Democratic Party’s State Central Committee re-elected Rita Hart as chair, through the 2028 election cycle.
