Half of Candidates Hoping to be Nominated as the Republican Candidate for President Have Iowa Offices

While President Barack Obama has campaign offices in 49 Iowa cities to date, offices for his would be competitors aren't so easy to find.

Candidates Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, and Rick Santorum opened official headquarters in and around Des Moines this summer.

Paul was first, opening his Ankeny headquarters in May. But an official headquarters for candidates Newt Gingrich, John Huntsman, Gary Johnson and Mitt Romney remain to be seen. Romney's campaign operates from an unofficial office in Des Moines.

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, who stepped out of the race last week, never did open an Iowa office. His political strategist in Iowa, Christopher Rants, said they didn't have the money to open an Iowa office and that it wasn't a funding priority.

With the technology of today an office might not be so important, he said.

“Having an office in every state you want to compete in? I'm not sure that makes the most sense,” Rants said.

They could open an office in Des Moines, as other candidates have.

“How do people from Sioux City and Davenport walk in there?” Rants said.

RC Hammond, Newt Gingrich's press secretary, said Thursday in an email to Ames Patch that they would be opening a headquarters some time in mid-October.

Find a candidate:

Michele Bachmann: 2775 86th Street, Urbandale

Herman Cain: 8550 New York Ave., Urbandale

Rick Santorum: 11306 Aurora Ave., Urbandale

Ron Paul: 207 NE Delaware Ave., Suite 21, Ankeny

Rick Perry: 7780 Office Plaza Blvd., West Des Moines

Barak Obama: Just click this: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/iaoffices/ .