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Four days from now the Polk County Central Committee will gather to elect a successor to Kevin McLaughlin and Dave Funk.  While several people expressed possible interest in running for Chair, it is my understanding that the only two people openly vying for the post at this point are Will Rogers and Dave Edwards.

For the politically active in Polk County who don’t yet know Mr. Rogers and his background, below is a the full transcript of a message he sent The Conservative Reader: Iowa regarding his candidacy.  It is followed by the personal section of his bio.  The list of candidates and campaigns he has worked on or led over the last few decades is extensive to say the least, and there is no doubt he has the background to attack the challenge of winning elections.  Among the notable names of Polk County Republican political veterans who are officially endorsing Mr. Rogers are Brad Zaun, John Bloom, Greg Ganske, E.J Giovannetti, and Darrell Kearney.

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Dear Conservative Reader,

I appreciate the opportunity to share with your readers why I am running for the chairmanship of the Polk County Republican Party and what I hope to accomplish once I am elected.

While there are many important objectives that we need to accomplish as a political organization, I believe the two essential missions of the county party should be helping elect republicans to office and advancing the county party platform. And I am running for county party chairman because I believe that now, more than ever, that our party must win and get our county, state, and country moving in the right direction.

I personally know thousands of Republicans in Polk County and around the state of Iowa, but I realize there are likely to be thousands of your readers that don’t know much about me and the level of activism that I have had.  So before I go any further, I would like to share some background on how I have been involved as a Republican.

Over the past twenty years I have worked and volunteered for several Republican candidates and elected officials.  In 2003, I served as Executive Director of the Polk County Republicans and served as the co-chairman of the Polk County Republican Party from 2008 through 2010.  I have been committed to helping elect Republicans from the presidency to city hall.  But that is just the highlights of my resume. It still doesn’t tell you who I am.

Who I am is a republican activist that believes in God, country, freedom, and conservative principles.  Who I am is someone that believes you must relentlessly pursue perfection, knowing very well that you will never achieve it.  But by relentlessly pursuing perfection, we will fall short and achieve greatness.

Who I am is someone that believes our country has been the greatest source of social and economic freedom in the world and that it is our duty to ensure it continues to be that way for future generations.  And if I am elected chair, my first priority will be to unite the Republican Party by working on our shared beliefs, instead of squabbling over our differences.

As chairman, I will focus on building a strong grassroots organization committed to the core principals of the Republican Party and dedicated to achieving victory. Combined with the solid financial resources, and both traditional and modern communications tools, we can help deliver majorities in the Unites States and Iowa Senates and help re-elect our incumbent Republicans.

I need your support for the chairman’s election taking place on Tuesday, February 26, at 7:00 p.m. at the Downtown Holiday Inn.  But I am also going to need your support after the chairman’s election.  I am going to need your help in making a difference by door knocking on your street, making phone calls, lit dropping, putting up yard signs, and by make a financial commitment to the county party.

And on Tuesday, November 4th, of 2014, after all the phone calls have been made, after all the doors have been knocked, after all the absentee ballots have been counted, a solemn voice will come on the television and say that “Iowa has elected a Republican U.S. Senator.”  And while your neighbor is home asleep in bed, you will be downtown at a victory party that no one will ever forget.

Thank you for your past and continued support of the Polk County Republicans and I look forward to working with you over the next two years as your chairman.

God Bless, Will Rogers

Will Rogers can be reached by call 515-669-1648 or by email at:  [email protected] ^[2]

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Will Rogers Bio

I was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. After graduating high school, I served in the U.S. Army as an M-1 Tank Crewman and served in combat operations as a part of Desert Shield-Desert Storm. After my enlistment, I returned to Des Moines to pursue an education at Drake University where I majored in Political Science and Rhetoric.

While at Drake University, I worked as field staff for Dr. Greg Ganske’s campaign for Congress in 1994. After the election I returned to finish my degree at Drake. After operating a small business for five years, I returned to politics to assist Congressman Greg Ganske’s campaign for Senate in 2002.

In 2003, I was named the first full-time Executive Director for the Polk County Republican Party and was instrumental in rebuilding the county party after the failed elections of 2002. In 2004, I served as Campaign Manager for Congressman Tom Latham’s re-election.

From October of ’05 through May ’07, I worked for the Iowa Soybean Association as a Producer Services Coordinator and was instrumental in promoting Iowa’s renewable fuels industry.

I currently serve as the Director of Government Affairs for the Iowa-Nebraska Equipment Dealers Association and work closely with several members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives, and state/local government officials.

For over 20 years, I have worked for and volunteered with several local, state, and national political campaigns including:

George W. Bush for President               Kim Schmett for U.S. House of Representatives

Newt Gingrich for President                  Dave Vaudt for State Auditor

Phil Gramm for President                       Bill Northey for Secretary of Agriculture

Steve Forbes for President                       Brad Zaun for Iowa Senate

Mitt Romney for President                      Pat Ward for Iowa Senate

Charles Grassley for U.S. Senate            Charles Schneider for Iowa Senate

Greg Ganske for U.S. Senate                   Dan Kennedy for Iowa House

Deb Fischer for U.S. Senate                     Kim Pearson for Iowa House

Greg Ganske for U.S. House                     Darlene Blake for Iowa House

Tom Latham for U.S. House                     Nick Van Patten for Iowa House

Steve King for U.S. House                          E.J. Giovannetti for Polk County Supervisor

Brad Zaun for U.S. House                           Halley Griess for Des Moines City Council

In addition, I served as the Co-Chair of the Polk County Republican Party from 2008 to 2010.

I have been married to Hannah (Holl) Rogers of Minden, Nebraska since 1998 and we have one daughter, Ariella, who was born in September 2009.