Ted Cruz to attend influential Iowa bash on Saturday
GOP influencer Bruce Rastetter throws a party every year at his rural Iowa home and invites everyone from neighborhood farmers to powerful politicians.
For this year's invitation-only bash, which happens this Saturday, Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz has RSVP'ed, an aide told The Des Moines Register Wednesday.
Cruz, who is eyeing a bid for the White House in 2016, will make two Iowa hops in a row — this weekend, and again next weekend for a summit of Christian conservative activists in Ames.
Rastetter, a wealthy Hardin County agribusiness leader who heads the board that oversees Iowa's state universities, first met Cruz four months ago. Cruz, on his way from a home-school parents' event in Des Moines to a dessert reception fundraiser in Mason City on March 18, stopped by Rastetter's office.
The summer party at Rastetter's home in rural Hubbard has attracted high-profile guests in the past, including Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal in 2013 and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in 2012.
This year's invitation features a photo of a barn on Rastetter's property, party tents and an American flag. It promises music by the Ken Arlen Orchestra, a short program at 7:30 p.m., and the presentation of an annual philanthropy award. The event is free to invited guests, who often include a wide cross-section of Iowans, from friends Rastetter grew up with to people he works with.
Rastetter is a lead backer of Iowa ethanol ventures, a prominent donor to Republican causes, and a confidant of Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. He was one of the seven Iowans who drew national attention for flying to New Jersey in 2011 to try to persuade Gov. Chris Christie to run for president.
Earlier this month, Rastetter accompanied Christie on his debut Iowa visit of the 2016 cycle, when Christie traveled by private jet rented by the Branstad campaign to fundraisers in three cities. Rastetter has said he hasn't yet decided whom to back in the coming presidential election.
Before his summer picnic begins, Rastetter often holds a separate event to raise money for a political candidate. This year, the fundraiser is for Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Joni Ernst, a state senator and military commander who grew up on a southwest Iowa farm.
For Cruz, this will be his fifth trip to Iowa. His virgin visit to Iowa soil happened on July 19, 2013, when he came to get acquainted with Iowa Christian conservative ministers at an American Renewal Project event in Des Moines.
His sixth Iowa trip is scheduled for next week, when he returns for this year's Family Leader summit. Five other GOP potential presidential candidates will also be at the Aug. 9, event in Ames.