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Campaign manager departs Iowa governor’s staff amid primary

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February 23rd, 2018 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The campaign manager for Gov. Kim Reynolds has left her staff months before the contested Republican primary election. Reynolds confirmed Thursday that Phil Valenziano, one of the state’s top GOP organizers, has moved on and that she would name his replacement in coming weeks. Reynolds had kept Valenziano despite an incident last summer, when he was arrested for public intoxication after being seen urinating outside a West Des Moines bar.

In a statement to The Associated Press, Reynolds thanked Valenziano for helping build grassroots support for her campaign and predicted he would “continue to be a force in Republican politics.”
Valenziano says “now is the appropriate time for me to pursue other opportunities” after working for Reynolds and former Gov. Terry Branstad in different capacities for 8 years. Former Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett is challenging Reynolds in the June primary.