Gross Leads Republican Plan

Former Republican Gubernatorial candidate Doug Gross will lead a news conference Friday to lay out a plan for his party to find victory in next year's election. Gross ran for governor in 2002. He has said he is not planning to run in 2010, although, several Republicans have told me to not rule him out as a possibility. Here is a release from the Iowa First Foundation:

IOWA FIRST FOUNDATION

Press Advisory

On Friday, May 1, 2009 the Iowa First Foundation will be holding a press conference to announce an update on its project “Iowa Republicans: Building a Winning Coalition”. The press conference will be held at 9:00 A.M. at the Brown Winick Law Office, 666 Grand Avenue, Suite 2000, Ruan Center, Des Moines, Iowa.
At the press conference, Dr. David B. Hill of Hill Research Consultants (HRC) will discuss the findings in the Iowa Voter Opinion Survey he conducted March 29 –31, 2009. Dr. Hill will report that the Iowa Republican electoral base is large enough and cohesive enough to form the foundation for a winning electoral collation in Iowa in the 2010 election.
Doug Gross will discuss his views that Iowa Republican candidates will need to have a broad agenda to be successful in the 2010 elections. Richard Schwarm will report on the status of the Iowa First Foundation project.
Dr. David B. Hill founded HRC in 1988 and is the director of HRC. HRC conducts public-opinion surveys, focus groups, policy and background research on behalf of a nation-wide roster of political, corporate, public affairs and trade association clients. HRC has extensive Iowa experience.
Doug Gross is a prominent Republican leader and the GOP’s nominee for Governor in 2002. Richard Schwarm is the President of the Iowa First Foundation and a former GOP State Chair.
Iowa First Foundation is a Section 527 organization that works to advocate certain issues and influence the selection of candidates. It is working on a project to (1) develop profiles of winning Republican candidates, (2) develop issues and themes of a winning Republican coalition and (3) implement strategies for building a winning Republican coalition.

Same-Sex Marriage Ceremony

Once again, Iowa has found itself in the national spotlight. Monday morning, couples of the same sex lined up in counties recorder offices to apply for their marriage licenses. I followed a middle-aged couple from Urbandale, Denny Phillips and Patrick Schrock-Phillips. They were married in a religious ceremony three years ago at a Des Moines church. But that was, of course, before Iowa legally recognized same-sex marriage.

Today, they felt a bit like ping pongs. To apply for their newly-legalized marriage and the waiver they would need to avoid waiting three days before they could get married, they began in line at the Polk County Administration Building, went to the Polk Co. Courthouse, went back to the Admin Bldg, went to their church to get married and then returned to the Admin Bldg to turn in their signed certificate from their ceremony. They honeymooned after their religious ceremony three years ago to Montreal and Quebec. They pre-honeymooned last weekend to Boston. And to celebrate after their ceremony today...they planned to go to brunch and then go back to work.

Here's the raw video of their wedding today...

and the story I did for the Channel 13 News at 6.