Vice President JD Vance's appearance in Iowa, a critical state for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination, has sparked controversy after an ethanol lobbyist recruited attendees with cash payments. The rally, held last Tuesday in Des Moines alongside Republican Congressman Zach Nunn, was preceded by a text message from lobbyist Jake Swanson offering $100 per person to attend, plus an additional $25 for each person recruited.
Lobbyist's Recruitment Effort
The text, obtained by Iowa Starting Line, read: 'Gentlemen, Jake Swanson here. I wanted to invite you to join me in seeing Vice President JD Vance this afternoon in Des Moines. I do some work for an ethanol company and so if you're able to join, I will give you $100, and for anyone that you recruit, an additional $25. No limit on referrals, so if someone recruits a group of 20 to show up, that's $500.'
Swanson, a former policy adviser to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, defended his actions in a statement: 'I love ethanol and what it does for our state. So I was happy to bring some Iowa State kids to the rally to celebrate all the things Trump-Vance have done for biofuels and I think there's opportunity for so much more. This is what I like to do in my own personal spare time.'
Campaign Finance Questions
The pay-for-attendance scheme could raise campaign finance issues if corporate or nonprofit funds were used to inflate the crowd. However, Swanson claimed the payments came from his own funds. Lobbying disclosures show that only one of his clients, Great Plains Institute, advocates for ethanol expansion. The non-profit denied knowledge of Swanson's recruitment, with spokesman Drew Henry stating: 'Our folks that work with Jake don't have any knowledge about his involvement or activities related to the event with the Vice President.'
Vance's Rally Remarks
At the rally, Vance campaigned alongside Nunn and advocated for expanding E15 ethanol sales. 'Zach is fighting to make sure for the benefit of Iowa—but frankly for the benefit of the whole country—that we get more E15 into the market all over the United States of America,' Vance said. There is no suggestion that Vance or his team were aware of Swanson's actions. The Daily Mail reached out to the Vice President's office for comment but did not receive a response in time for publication.
