It’s going to be the Axelrod/Plouffe show at this year’s Harkin Steak Fry on September 12. The annual event (this will be #33) has been a launching pad for certain politicians. Barack Obama, for example, was the keynote speaker/main draw at the 2006 Harkin Steak Fry.
David Axelrod is senior advisor to President Obama and the political consultant who helped guide Obama’s 2008 campaign. David Plouffe was Obama’s 2008 campaign manager. Plouffe wrote The Audacity to Win about the experience. Plouffe is now an outside advisor to the Obama Administration.
Both Davids have connections to Harkin. Plouffe worked on Senator Harkin’s 1990 reelection campaign. He also worked on Harkin’s 1992 presidential campaign. Axelrod has been Harkin’s political consultant. A long-time Harkin insider says Axelrod did not work on Harkin’s 1990 or ’92 campaigns as previously reported.
The Harkin Steak Fry has attracted headliners ranging from Sheryl Crowe to James Carville. The 2007 Harkin Steak Fry featured six of the Democrats competing for their party’s presidential nomination. Minnesota Senator Al Franken was last year’s speaker.
UPDATE: Read the news release below.
33rd HARKIN STEAK FRY TO FEATURE TWO OF THE NATION’S TOP POLITICAL THINKERS
David Axelrod and David Plouffe to headline Iowa political classic September 12
(INDIANOLA, IOWA) – US Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa announced today his 33rd Steak Fry will be held September 12th from 1:00-4:00pm at the Warren County Fairgrounds Field. Senator Harkin and his wife Ruth will welcome David Plouffe and David Axelrod as their featured guests.
““Ruth and I are thrilled that Iowans will have a chance to hear from two of the nation’s smartest political strategists,” said Senator Tom Harkin. “Not only did David Axelrod and David Plouffe build a stellar presidential campaign in 2008, they both have tremendous experience in Iowa campaigns.”
David Axelrod served as Senior Advisor to the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition and Senior Strategist to Barack Obama’s campaign for the presidency. From 1989-2009, Axelrod served as Senior Partner at the consulting firm AKP&D Message and Media, based in Chicago. In that capacity, he managed media strategy and communications for more than 150 local, state, and national campaigns including Iowa Attorney General Bonnie Campbell and Governor Tom Vilsack.
David Plouffe was the campaign manager for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. After winning the election on November 4, President-elect Obama credited Plouffe in his acceptance speech, calling him “the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the . . . best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.” Plouffe began his political career when he went to work for Senator Tom Harkin’s 1990 re-election campaign. He later served as a state field director for Harkin’s 1992 presidential campaign.
First held on a farm in Madison County, the Harkin Steak Fry has become a signature political event in Iowa. Past special guests have included Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Senator Al Franken and all of the major Democratic presidential candidates in 2003 and 2007.
General admission tickets for the Steak Fry include refreshments and a steak dinner. To purchase tickets, get directions, and learn more about the Harkin Steak Fry, visit www.tomharkin.com or call 515.277.9966.
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
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