Trump sets up Formidable Iowa Ground Game
by Chuck Laudner Iowa State Director 10-15-15
At the forefront of that infrastructure is state co-chair Tana Goertz, 48, a former runner-up on Trump’s reality show “The Apprentice”and now a professional speaker and business coach in West Des Moines.
“I thought she was going to play a very important role and named her co-chair because she was going to reach so many people that a normal Republican organization just isn’t going to reach,” Laudner said.
Goertz appears frequently on national television, defending Mr. Trump—as she affectionately refers to the candidate—from his comments about Megyn Kelly to his resistance in pushing back questions about President Obama’s faith. She is also the force behind the acclaimed “Trump Bus,” thecampaign’s sponsorship of a Sprint Car in Knoxville, Iowa in August, and boisterous debate watch parties at a local sports bar.
Laudner first met Goertz at an event attended by Trump for U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa in January.
“She knows it–she got mocked. We got mocked,” Laudner added. “[They said] ‘Aw, she’s from the TV show and this isn’t serious.’ But hell, she’s running laps around these other campaign consultants who wouldn’t know how to fire up a crowd. I can’t imagine doing it without her now. She just went to town. She’s MVP.”
