campaign « Christopher Halloran Photography

On the day after Christmas, I got a call from the Gingrich campaign asking if I could fly to Des Moines to document Newt’s Iowa “Jobs and Growth” bus tour. I spent the next eight days following the campaign bus around the state – two thousand miles, 40 hours in the car, 22 cities, 4-5 hours of sleep per night, and 10,000 photographs.

It was a great experience, both personally and professionally. I was impressed by the caliber of the campaign staff, touched by the kindness and generosity of the many Iowans I met along the way, and amazed by the stamina and discipline required of anyone who runs for the Presidency.

Here are a handful of images from the tour:

Newt and Callista Gingrich in Mason City, IA

Spencer, IA

Le Mars, IA

Televised town hall in Des Moines, IA

A campaign supporter attends a meet and greet

Taking questions from the national press

Independence, IA

Walford, IA

Davenport, IA

Muscatine, IA

Greeting supporters in Muscatine, IA

Campaign bus in Burlington, IA

Iowa Caucus in Cedar Falls, IA

Cedar Falls, IA

I have just returned from several days in New Orleans where I was photographing the Republican Leadership Conference, an annual gathering of 2,000 or more of the party faithful. It was an interesting glimpse into Republican philosophy and strategy for the 2012 Presidential election and a revelation about the nature of grass roots politics. The conference felt as much like a religious revival as it did a political event. The forces of evil were embodied by Barack Obama and his liberal minions and the instrument of salvation, the messianic figure, was personified by Ronald Reagan, whose image appeared constantly on huge video screens and whose memory was invoked by nearly every noteworthy speaker over the course of the three days. The quality of the rhetoric varied greatly, from tough but thoughtful speeches by Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum to bombastic invective by a variety of lesser party lights. I was disappointed by the absence of Pawlenty, Huntsman and Romney, but the potential 2012 Presidential nominees were otherwise well represented. Here are a few images of those who have declared: