Politics & Government

Ames Resident Spiker Elected New Iowa Republican Party Chair

A.J. Spiker will fill the remainder of the vacancy left by Matt Strawn's departure.

From the Republican Party of Iowa

The Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee elected Ames resident A.J. Spiker, 32, as their new chair on Saturday.

Former Chair Matt Strawn announced he would step down in January after some his hesitation to declare Rick Santorum the winner of the Iowa Caucus.Β 

Find out what's happening in Amesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Spiker, a real estate agent at Freidch-Iowa Realty in Ames, will fill the remainder of Strawn's term which expires in Jan. 2013.

Β β€œI am honored to be elected by my colleagues on the Committee and look forward to serving as Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. I will work diligently with fellow Republicans across the state to energize voters and work to elect our candidates," Spiker said in a prepared statement.Β 

Find out what's happening in Amesfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Spiker is a former Story County GOP Chairman, and 4thΒ Congressional District State Central Committee Member. HeΒ also served as the Iowa vice-chair for Ron Paul's 2012 campaign.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

More from Ames