Decorah man elected to State Republican Party Convention Platform Committee

When the Iowa Republican Party holds its State Convention in June, delegates will discuss a state party platform written by a Decorah man and 15 others.

Tom Hansen was elected as one of four state platform delegates at last weekend's First Congressional District Republican Convention in Cedar Rapids.  Hansen's name was one of eight on the ballot.  He finished third in vote totals, and so will participate in the drafting of the state party platform.

The platform approved by First District Republicans is a throwback to earlier Republican Party platforms, Hansen told decorahnews.com.  Rather than creating a lengthy document, he and the other platform committee members limited their document to "Five Principles" of the Republican Party.  Hansen said the idea was to keep the platform simple — so Republican candidates would know when the party faithful stood.  The goal, he said, "is to return power back to the people."

Delegates to the First District Convention submitted 314 "planks," but Hansen's committee reduced that to 102—and would have reduced the number further, if not for the lateness of the hour.  He says he will continue to work on simplification when the state platform delegates elected at all four Republican district conventions meet May 10th to try to consolidate the four platforms.

The First District Republican Party Convention platform plank that attracted the most news coverage — even national coverage—was the statement "We support the removal of the institution of marriage from government control."  Hansen says the platform was included not as a statement on the pros or cons of gay marriage, but out of the belief "This is not something the government should be dealing with."  He says this stand was particularly popular with the many young people who attended the convention as delegates.  In fact, the proposed platform was so well received that only one of 14 proposed amendments to the platforms was approved by convention delegates.

Hansen was one of five Winneshiek County residents attending the First District Convention as a delegate.  Also attending were Carol Schrick, Collyn Bridges, Mark Oltrogge and Darrell Branhagen.