Line Change!

The strong organization Gov. Pataki put together in Iowa is falling apart at the seams. Ringleader Ed Failor Jr., head of Iowans for Tax Relief and one of the most prominent members of the Iowa GOP left yesterday as reported below.

Word this morning from Tom Beaumont at the Des Moines Register is that Loras Schulte has also left team Pataki. Loras is involved with Iowans for Tax Relief as well as various pro-life groups across the state. He is chair of the Benton County GOP and on the State Central Committee.

For team Pataki that leaves Stew Iverson (close to ITR), Erik Helland (worked for ITR), Craig Schoenfeld (recruited by Failor), Diane Crookham-Johnson, and Jo-Ellen Hill (wife to Polk County GOP Chair Ted Sporer).

It seems to us at the Cooler that it would make a lot of sense for Schoenfeld and Helland to leave with Ed. Who knows what to expect from Stew. Diane will probably stay for a while.

Throughout the existence of this blog we've had Pataki artificially high on the line based on the strength of his local organization. Well not so much anymore. So we hope Alicia Preston doesn't get mad at us when we say:

Pataki drops from 13-2 to 18-1.

Ouch.

Huckabee and the field bet get moved up slightly to help make the math work.