Iowa GOP county chair resigns after declining to uninvite Steve King to event

With the November election coming up, Tammy Kobza, an active Republican in the Sioux County area, wanted to organize a fundraiser as the local GOP chair to raise awareness and dollars for local candidates.

Kobza said she booked Sidney Powell, lead counsel for former U.S. national security adviser Michael Flynn, to speak at her local fundraiser.

She said she invited local Republican leaders, including U.S. Rep. Steve King, GOP congressional nominee Randy Feenstra, Gov. Kim Reynolds and U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst to attend the event.

But when Feenstra, who defeated King in June’s primary, learned the congressman accepted the invitation to the event, Kobza said “he adamantly insisted” King not attend or else he would not go.

Ultimately, Kobza said she decided to resign from her role and submitted a resignation letter detailing why she did not want to uninvite King to the event.

Feenstra’s campaign declined to comment for the story.

“In good conscience, I could not uninvite a sitting Congressman,” Kobza wrote in her resignation letter. “When the winning candidate couldn’t find it in himself to graciously build bridges with his former opponent; when the funders were no longer part of the program, I had to decide whether or not I could uninvite Congressman King, which I found extremely disrespectful or resign my position as County Chair. I decided to step down.”

Kobza, an active Republican in the Sioux County area since 2006, said that although King lost the primary to Feenstra, she doesn’t believe conservative attitudes have changed in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District.

She said the 4th District is more conservative than the rest of the state and issues that were priorities of King’s, such as abortion, constitutional rights and private property, will continue to be major issues.

She said she believes COVID-19 and the prominence of absentee voting swayed the primary election after request forms were sent in the mail by the Secretary of State’s Office. She also believes the financial influence from both the Republican Party of Iowa and the national party hurt King’s re-election chances. “The one thing the Fourth District voter hates and it’s having their vote bought out from underneath us,” Kobza said.

Even though she is stepping down as GOP chair, Kobza said she is still an active Republican in the area and is working to help get candidates like Ernst and President Donald Trump re-elected.

She said she felt that her stepping down would be the best decision for Feenstra. Ultimately, she said she wants to make sure presidential candidate Joe Biden and now, Kamala Harris, do not get elected.

“The thought of people like that at the helm of the country is frightening for my immediate future and my kids’ future,” Kobza said. “We’re at a real crossroads in our country.”

Kobza’s letter

It’s no secret that I have been a supporter of Congressman King for quite some time.  Working for Phyllis Schlafly Eagles gave me the opportunity to get to know the Congressman better as he and Phyllis were particularly good friends, so he was always at our annual conferences. Prior to the 2018 election, it became very apparent to me that the Establishment Republicans in DC and even those within the state wanted him gone.

After winning the 2018 race against a heavily funded Democrat, and yet coming out as the only Republican representative left standing, I was shocked to hear the Governor state a few days later, “He needs to decide if he’s going to represent the people and values of the 4^th District or do something different.” My thought was “He IS representing our values!  How in the world do you draw that conclusion?” A man standing for Life, (Heartbeat bill is in 29 states; passed in 10), defending our borders, our pocket books, and our Western Civilization (yes, that “four letter word” that so accurately describes why we are such a prosperous nation) is painted as not representing the 4^th District?  It was a mantra that they were hoping would stick.

After McCarthy removed him for something he DID NOT do (where is the justice in that? Aren’t we as Christians and Republicans to stand up to injustice?) it was crystal clear to me globalists were launching the most concerted political career assassination against him we’ve ever seen.  Since it had not worked against Trump, King, with his similar agenda and forthrightness, became their target.  Every politician and media hack knew King was not a racist or a “white supremacist.”  But the lies were huge, non-stop, and vicious.  After all, that is a basic strategy of propaganda.  Make the lie big enough and constant and even better yet, if you can get the voter to believe it is HIS original thought; that is a successful propaganda campaign.

After all, what racist would work so hard to pass a Heartbeat Bill that would save so many unborn Black and Hispanic babies—those innocents slaughtered at the highest rate through abortion?  What white supremacist would labor around the clock, for three Tanzanian children severely hurt in a bus accident in their home country? What white supremacist would, at Dr. Steven Meyer’s request, arrange for the necessary Tanzanian and U.S. documents AND the transportation and logistics of their trip to America to allow Dr. Meyer to repair the damage and save their lives?  Sorry, our Iowa man is no David Duke.

Here’s another one: “He can’t raise money!”  Steve King still holds the Iowa Republican record for the most money raised in a cycle from when he defeated Christie Vilsack.  But here’s how schizophrenic the voting public can be:  at one turn we decry the contamination of big money in politics, but if someone relies on $20 or $50 donations from the citizens of their district, they’re not worth backing?  Which is it?  So, is the 4^th District okay with big money funneled to a hand-picked candidate?  Are we okay when that carries the day?  Now, instead of sending a bold, firebrand back to DC, will we have someone who’s handlers keep him at arm’s length?  Unfortunately, many Republicans are NOT platform Republicans. They are bought-and-paid for RINOs. But men like Steve King stand up to the Swamp.

So, after being appointed as Sioux County’s GOP chair upon Tim Allen’s recent move, I wanted to increase our activity in the community and do all we could to get the vote out for Republicans.  Hosting an event with Gen. Flynn’s lead counsel, Sidney Powell seemed to be a great way to get people excited about the race and help that final push before the election.   Unfortunately, when our congressional candidate found out that Congressman King had accepted our invitation to the event, he adamantly insisted that either King not be in attendance or he, most likely the Governor and Senator Ernst would not attend either.  I’ve heard of sore losers, but sore winners?  The pettiness!  Senator Ernst’s campaign denies she wouldn’t have attended if the Congressman was there.  The Governor’s staff were not so “clear” on this when I called them to verify.  I was also told the funders who had already committed also pulled out, so I found myself in a dilemma.  Do I uninvite a sitting Congressman or bow to these people’s demands?  In good conscience, I could not uninvite a sitting Congressman.  When the winning candidate couldn’t find it in himself to graciously build bridges with his former opponent; when the funders were no longer part of the program, I had to decide whether or not I could uninvite Congressman King, which I found extremely disrespectful or resign my position as County Chair. I decided to step down.

Unfortunately, when conservative Republicans are told “we have to pull together now” when their candidate doesn’t win and we raise a ruckus about that loss, we are maligned as “destroying the unity of the party!”  But it doesn’t seem to work the other way.  Why wasn’t that the rallying cry when Steve King won in 2018?  Why wasn’t he defended when the MSM was twisting, distorting, and outright lying about his comments?  It does seem to be a one-way street.  Rallying around moderate candidates seems to be the way Republicans so skillfully snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory.  I’ve seen it too many times in my lifetime.  It makes sense why men formed the Republican party when the Whigs kept pussyfooting around the slavery issue.  We seem to have 2 parties with one agenda.  Strong, platform defending candidates need not apply.  If Steve King is Exhibit A, Kris Kobach’s recent defeat in the Kansas Senatorial primary would be Exhibit B.

So, I wish you all the best.  I thank you for your work on the Declaration of Independence event, walking in the parade last weekend and the voter registration event in Ireton, as well as those of you who served on the special election convention for our County Treasurer’s nomination.  It’s been a short run, but I’ve certainly appreciated your help and enjoyed getting to know you all better.

Be discerning with the onslaught of media information that comes across your radar every day. Stand for what is right and noble. Do not let the tide of public opinion sweep you away down a dangerous current that ends up destroying our nation.