Former Speaker of the Iowa House and the first female to hold that role, Linda Upmeyer, is taking her knack for recruiting high-quality candidates and her passion for getting women involved in government to the next level.

In her new role as the Co-Chair of the Republican Party of Iowa, Upmeyer has wasted little time getting to work and expanding the party’s recruiting efforts statewide. This summer, Upmeyer is launching a new project for the state party called “Build the Bench.” The main objective of the Build the Bench initiative is to empower conservative women to run for elected office and win.

“Of course, the Republican party works in many ways to recruit the best candidates for the ballot – regardless of their gender or life experiences,” said Upmeyer. “But what we’ve found is that women have to be asked to run. They often think there are more qualified candidates and don’t think of themselves as candidates first. The Republican Party of Iowa wants to make sure we’re doing everything we can to change that.”

Earlier this summer, Upmeyer used the Build the Bench program to host a small gathering with former Ambassador Nikki Haley. Together, Haley and Upmeyer opened the floor for conservative women in office or those exploring a run to freely discuss the challenges and rewards of being trailblazing candidates.

Additionally, Upmeyer is planning a candidate training event this fall, specifically for women considering running for elected office at any level. Attendees will hear from other GOP women leaders, campaign experts and be given the opportunity to ask questions or get insights on what it means to be a conservative woman running for office in Iowa.

“In Iowa, the party of women is Republicans. From Mary Lundby and Mary Kramer, to Governor Reynolds and Senator Ernst, it’s been the women of the Republican Party that have shattered glass ceilings in this state,” said Upmeyer. “We’re proud to be the party that elects smart, strong, conservative, and capable women to lead our state and nation. We want to continue to build that female bench, empowering conservative women to get active at all levels of government for years to come.”

For more information about the Iowa GOP’s Build the Bench event being held on September 17th, visit: www.iowagop.org/build_the_bench_candidate_training