First on CNN: Iowa's Steve King heading to South Carolina (Prepping for 2016?)

CNN Political Ticker ^ | 08/07/2013 | Peter Hamby

[SeekAndFind]

Washington (CNN) – Iowa Rep. Steve King, whose hard line immigration rhetoric has angered some of his fellow Republicans and delighted Democrats eager to keep Hispanic voters in their fold, is quietly planning meetings with political activists in the early presidential primary state of South Carolina, CNN has learned.

King will travel to the state in late August to attend the Charleston Meeting, a closed-door gathering of right-leaning politicians and business leaders organized by author and activist Mallory Factor, two Republican sources said.

The Charleston Meeting and its sibling, the New York Meeting, are semi-regular events hosted by Factor that bring together influential conservative figures from around the country - not necessarily the local activists who will be key players in the state's primary, the first southern contest in the 2016 presidential nomination fight.

But King has also set up an invitation-only coffee in Charleston with a small group of area GOP leaders, according to Lin Bennett, a vice chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party.

Bennett, the former leader of the Charleston County GOP, has brokered similar meetings in the past for ambitious politicians hoping to make inroads into the state's conservative movement.

[cripplecreek]

Now Steve King is worth a look.

[US Navy Vet]

I would rather see Steve run for the US Senate.

[US Navy Vet]

Or Iowa Governer.

[kingu]

Iowa Rep. Steve King, whose hard line immigration rhetoric has angered some of his fellow Republicans and delighted Democrats eager to keep Hispanic voters in their fold

Gotta love viewpoints like this one... Don't be hard on illegals, because if you are, you'll give the Democrats those votes! Well, no, they've already got a huge number of 'Hispanic' voters. Being soft on illegals won't gain you a single one of those votes who agree with the viewpoint, as Democrats are giving them 'Dream Acts' and the rest of the farm.

The ONLY way to lure any of those votes away is to offer a contrasting viewpoint, that of treating illegals as criminals and deporting them. We always lose when our candidates try to out liberal liberals.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Now Steve King is worth a look.

I dunno... a principled person like this has ended up like Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Tom Tancredo, just to name a few.

[TurboZamboni]

IA can keep him -and his windmill and farm subsidies.

[ScottinVA]

Now Steve King is worth a look

Ditto. I could get behind a Steve King candidacy.

[ScottinVA]

IA can keep him -and his windmill and farm subsidies.

If that's the worst we can pin on him, he's doing pretty well. I'd take that over a pro-abort, pro-homo, pro-amnesty establishment type anytime.

[Cringing Negativism Network]

If enough principled people like that were to get together, it might make a new party.

Just saying...

[cripplecreek]

If that's the worst we can pin on him, he's doing pretty well. I'd take that over a pro-abort, pro-homo, pro-amnesty establishment type anytime.

He's also been pretty vocal in opposition to our growing surveillance state.

[TurboZamboni]

He’s Iowa’s Tim Pawlenty.

[FlingWingFlyer]

I don’t think I’m ready for another “presidential campaign” fiasco. It’s like watching 24 hours of “arab spring” rally coverage on cable news every day.

[Mr. K]

What does CNN have to do with this?

[JohnBovenmyer]

He’s not running for Pres. The chance to run for Harkin’s senate seat was his for the asking and he passed on that. He’s happy where he is. Now, if he goes to SC and rips Lindsay G a new one on immigration, whether or not he endorses one of the conservative contenders there, he’ll have done some good.

[arthurus]

He is too late. The Republican nominee in 2016 is someone who has been lining up support and running hard though not terribly openly for the last two election cycles. There is only one such and it is Jeb Bush. The RNC and the GOP also have awarded him a Turn. It is His Turn and that is how the Republican Party works.

Cnservatives , with one notable exception, don't even consider running until a couple of years before the Election. Liberals and political professionals know they have to run hard and get all their ducks in a row and their favors done and their markers put out during at least two full cycles before the Election, with one notable exception on the Democrat side.

[arthurus]

Anyone actual conservative running within the fold of the Republican Party is not worth talking about. He has no chance.That party should have been split immediately following the 2010 election or even after the 2008 election. The Republican Party cannot, by court decision to which the GOP formally acceded, notice voter fraud. A conservative Party could work against it. Voter fraud absolutely is the reality for the electronic voting machines.

[ObamahatesPACoal]

Steve King was just playing mind games with Karl Rove. It raised his profile as the real leader of the house GOP on immigration. He had to give up his house seat and his time on the judiciary to run for senate. Imagine the judiciary with Luis, Raul, Goodlatte and Gowdy being the only voices.

He’s going to SC to raise his profile and attack the RINOs.

It doesn’t matter if he can’t win the nomination. Steve King could spoil for individiaul RINOs and Rand Paul if he hispanders too much.

[cornfedcowboy]

No he’s not! Latham maybe, but not King. King would make a good President but methinks he is too conservative to get elected.

[ObamahatesPACoal]

I can understand someone who defends earmarks and tax credits to businesses in their district. The primary opponents wasted time attacking Todd Akin’s earmarks while he was fighting trillion dollar amnesty with King and Tancredo.