Who is Bob Haus and why is he still working for Rick Perry?
Although Rick Perry's presidential campaign has lately fallen on hard times, there is one steadfast anchor in his Iowa organization who isn't going anywhere: Bob Haus, his Iowa strategist.
In the past month, most of Perry's staffers have stopped receiving paychecks; one Iowa co-chair, Sam Clovis, left for Donald Trump's campaign days ago, and the other, Karen Fesler, joined her old boss, Rick Santorum. In New Hampshire, his political director recently defected to John Kasich's campaign. To add to his troubles, polls aren't exactly showing the race shaking out in Perry's favor.
Haus is working with Perry's only paid staffer in the state, another strategist named Jamie Johnson. Haus himself hasn't been paid since July. There are at least 10-12 other campaigns that would readily put him on their payroll if he were interested in a candidate on the way up instead of one who may well be on his way out. Yet Haus isn't budging. Why?
"If there is a guy I want to strap my back to and go into a firefight with, it is Rick Perry," Haus said. "He is a fighter. He has got courage, he has got character, and he will never give up. He just won't."
Local political operatives say he's just a "class act." The Perry campaign feels indebted to him. "To say I have profound respect for that guy would be a massive understatement," said Jeff Miller, chairman of the Perry campaign. "When campaigns go through difficult trials, people's true characters come out, and Bob Haus is an exemplary example of what everyone's character should be like."
Haus has no illusions. Sitting in a coffee shop in West Des Moines, looking off into the distance through his tortoiseshell glasses, he says he knows it will be hard. The campaign's money woes are well-known, and Haus is struggling to maintain and shore up volunteer support.
Haus first met Perry in 1996 while he was working for then-Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, and Perry came out to campaign for him. Haus grew to admire Perry when he moved to Austin during Perry's tenure as Governor.
In 2011 Haus jumped to accept an offer to join Perry's Iowa team, because he felt a certain "philosophical alignment" with Perry on the issues. It was at a moment during the campaign when Michelle Bachmann had won the straw poll and Romney was making steady headway in the state but Haus believed there was a clear opening for Perry's conservative pitch.
After a number of missteps -- not the least of which was Perry's "oops" comment during November republican debatewhen he forgot the third government agency that he would eliminate -- Perry placed fifth in the Iowa caucus, had a poor showing in New Hampshire and decided to call it quits. For Haus, the 2012 campaign cycle was over.
Haus isn't just a Perry aficionado -- his first experience with politics was knocking on doors in 1988 for then-GOP presidential candidate Bob Dole, and he also worked for the presidential campaigns of Phil Gramm, Steve Forbes, Fred Thompson and Perry in 2012.
And Haus is convinced that the the size of the field has created a dynamic that could still work in Perry's favor. Iowan voters are known for being slow to figure out who they'll caucus for, and with 14 Republicans, Haus feels that it's far too early to draw any conclusions about winners and losers. The Perry campaign made 14,000 calls to Iowans in June and July, and Haus found a widespread lack of commitment.
The cancellation of the Iowa Straw poll (which Haus has produced in the past) Haus believes, will push voters to wait even longer to settle on a candidate. The only real opportunity for voters to see the majority of the candidates in person this summer was the Iowa State Fair, in July.
Perry's retail politicking skills were on full display at the fair, as he huddled close with veterans, got on his knees to talk to fairgoers in wheelchairs, chatted with young children and drew a heart next to his life-size photo at the Iowa GOP booth.
But he didn't leave tongues wagging, as Donald Trump did, with his free helicopter rides. Attendees also seemed drawn to Ben Carson, another first-time politician. Carson didn't have a helicopter, but his compelling personal history and socially conservative stances won a lot of Iowans over. In the recent Des Moines Register/ Bloomberg Poll, Carson only trailed Trump by five percent - he had 18 percent, compared to Trump's 23 percent. Perry only had one percent.
Perry plans to return to Iowa this month, although the date has not been scheduled. It is also unlikely that Perry will have a place on the stage of the second Republican primary debate next week. That could further undermine his chances to make his voice heard, although if he performs well, it could make a difference. Carly Fiorina's breakout performance in the second-tier debate last month improved her standing in the polls and catapulted her in the first tier.
No matter what comes, Haus isn't entertaining a change in his allegiances. "I'll stick with my decision through hell or high water," Haus says.