One of Donald Trump’s daughters-in-law was in Iowa yesterday (Wednesday) and a member of the Kennedy clan was here to campaign for Hillary Clinton. Campaign veterans say having a “surrogate” stand-in to campaign for the candidate can be a tricky. David Kochel of Des Moines was a key insider on campaigns for Republican presidential candidates Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney. He says unless the campaign “surrogate” has the same last name as the presidential candidate, it’s difficult to draw much of a crowd or the desired media attention. “In general, it can eat up a lot of staff resources and time with marginal benefit,” he says. Kochel says good surrogates “underscore” the campaign’s core message to voters.

“It is a motivation for supporters who are doing a lot of the work and the volunteering,” Kochel says. “It’s also a way to recruit volunteers and bring them in the door, but the message is the main thing.” John Norris of Des Moines was a key insider on campaigns for Democratic presidential candidates Jesse Jackson and John Kerry. Norris says there’s a fine line between asset and liability when it comes to campaign surrogates.

“First of all, you want surrogates who are low maintenance, surrogates who can attract people for whatever the purpose is — for message, for fundraising,” Norris says,”and in Iowa there’s probably a higher threshold than in other states because Iowans are so used to having presidential candidates here.” Kochel agrees. “It’s always been tougher in Iowa to draw people who aren’t he candidates because we see so much of the candidates throughout the caucus process,” Kochel says.

And Norris points out the presidential campaigns in Iowa are focused on early voting right now, since Iowans can start casting ballots next week. “If the surrogate event is about getting the vote out and they’re an attractice surrogate, they can be helpful,” Norris says. “But if you spend a whole lot of time for a surrogate who doesn’t have much draw or electoral value, then you are probably directing your resources in a non-productive way.”

Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Ted Kennedy, hosted a roundtable discussion in Des Moines yesterday to call attention to Clinton’s ideas for addressing gaps in the mental health care system. At nearly the same time, there was a “Women for Trump” event featuring Trump’s daughter-in-law and a long-time aide to three of Trump’s adult children. Lynne Patton is also an executive for Eric Trump’s charity.

During an interview with The Des Moines Register, Patton defended Donald Trump’s record of charitable donations. She told the newspaper Trump often asks groups to write a check to his charity rather than pay him directly for giving a speech. A Washington Post analysis concluded the candidate has not personally donated to his own charity since 2007.

(O.Kay Henderson/Radio Iowa)