IOWA INSIDER

As a news story, the whole idea of campaign staff hooking up with their own or rival campaigns has gotten pretty cliché. This Wall Street Journal story chronicles some of the latest pairings, many of which got their start during the Iowa caucuses. Several familiar names crop up in the story. See how many you know.

Iowa House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy revealed the secret for whipping up enthusiasm inside his members’ closed-door caucus meetings – a few cheers.

“When Obama’s on the up in his national campaign, we yell out ‘fired up,’ and the caucus screams back ‘ready to go,” McCarthy said.

“When Hillary’s doing very well, we yell ‘experience’ and the caucus yells back ‘and change.”

House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, predicted his party will increase their majority in the House this year because they have a good time in their caucus meetings.

Rep. Delores Mertz, D-Ottosen, heard a few boos in the Iowa House Wednesday when she reported that a truckload of alcohol wasn’t heading toward the State Capitol.

Mertz returned a phone call made to the wrong number. The man at the other end reported being “at the gate” trying to figure out where she wanted a load of booze delivered.

“I said to him, ‘I could easily come down and open up the gate and let you in. I think I have a few colleagues that would enjoy that,’” Mertz said. “And probably at this time in the session, we might enjoy it more. But I said ‘I think you have the wrong number.’”

Mertz figures the caller was trying to reach the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division in Ankeny, which has a similar phone number.

House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, had a quick retort for Mertz.

“Representative Mertz, I think you owe a round to everyone tonight,” Murphy told her.