When we get missives from the press office of the Terry Branstad for Governor campaign (yes, still technically in ‘exploratory’ status), they’ll be the product of an area native. Ida Grove’s Tim Albrecht this morning has been announced as Branstad’s communications team director, and he’s on the job this very day.

Albrecht, 32, has had a hand in a lot of Republican political campaigns after leaving the University of Northern Iowa. He was part of the Steve Forbes presidential campaign, worked for Steve Sukup when he ran for governor in 2002, then served for four years as spokesman for Iowa House Speaker Chris Rants of Sioux City.

Rants was a very early supporter of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney in the 2008 presidential race way back in late 2006, and Albrecht became press secretary for Romney’s campaign in Iowa. I figured at some point, Albrecht would come on board with Rants in his 2010 gubernatorial campaign. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Many of you know Albrecht about a year ago launched a popular Web site, TheBeanWalker, which is a right-of-center news aggregator, a sort of Iowa-ized Drudge Report. Albrecht announced the site will continue with a new publisher. He also is leaving behind his job as communications director for American Future Fund, the group that in 2009 brought to the state a batch of high-profile GOP people with supposed designs on the 2012 presidency, including U.S. Sen. John Ensign to speak here in Sioux City.

State Rep. Chris Rants of Sioux City isn’t shy about taking control of political openings, and that apparently is true in some personal interactions too. Rants is still smiling tonight, the day after Tim Albrecht, his good friend and former spokesman when Rants was the Iowa House Speaker, was married to another Republican spokesperson. Albrecht now works for American Future Fund and maintains the popular TheBeanWalker.com Web site. He’s also the husband of Josie Klingaman, who handles communications for the Iowa House Republican leadership.

Rants said he had been after Ida Grove native Albrecht to ask out Klingaman when she worked for State Rep. Doug Struyk. Albrecht apparently dawdled, because Rants said he didn’t nag, but “encouraged repeatedly” Albrecht to get with it. He said not all political spouses can “stand the 24/7″ nature of politics, but he knew the two political animals would do well together.

“For me, those guys are like the perfect couple,” Rants said.

Rants said the two finally dated by the time of the 2006 campaign cycle (which, not to rain on the new married couple’s honeymoon, didn’t go too well for Republicans).  “I guess if your relationship can survive a stressful campaign, it can survive anything,” Rants offered.

Rants handled the blessing at the dinner, then sat in the second row in the wedding, watching the emotional “Timmy” try not to break down on his big day. Rants said it was a fun day with the typical bride and groom side of guests, plus then a mass of “politicos,” legislators and the like. He said no one checked voter registration at the door, so it was possible a Democrat was even in attendance — though no doubt as a friend of the couple’s parents.

Congrats to the couple. It’s no wonder Albrecht’s Twitter account has been dormant this weekend.

Just got done interviewing Tim Albrecht, communications director for American Future Fund, for a preview of the June 1  Sioux City visit by U.S. Sen. John Ensign of Nevada. My chances to interview Ensign apparently have reached an end, but Albrecht obliged to fill in some blanks. He described Ensign as a rising star within conservative Republican ranks, which makes him beloved by AFF and, very likely, Northwest Iowans.

American Future Fund was created as a counterpoint to the MoveOn.org group that gained a foothold into the political world in 2004. Conservatives should be touting free market solutions to offset the answers provided by liberals in MoveOn, Albrecht said.

He said Ensign is conservative on both social and fiscal matters, and has the voting record to prove it.  Albrecht said those who attend the AFF Conservative Lecture Series with Ensign won’t be disappointed: “It will be a very riveting discussion and it will be a fun event for conservatives.”

We in the media don’t let much of a down period between election cycles take place and the 2010 midterm election is beginning to heat up, as you’ve read here. But the presidential race maybe has maybe eight months down time and then 40 months of intrigue, politicking and campaigning. With the Dems  pleased with President Obama (could change, but not likely), the drama will be on which Republicans will seek a bid. We’ll get to see our first possible candidate in a few weeks.

On June 1, U.S. Sen. John Ensign of Nevada will make a three-stop swing through Northwest Iowa. As the only veteranarian in the Senate, he’ll tour Trans Ova Genetics in Sioux Center, stop for some ice cream in Le Mars (the home of Wells Blue Bunny) and then have his main speaking engagement here in Sioux City at 7 p.m.

Ensign finished in the top four of the National Journal’s 2008 rankings for most conservative senators. He will keynote the American Future Fund lecture series, which seeks to give a platform to up and coming conservative leaders. The Iowa guy working for American Future Fund is Tim Albrecht (former spokesman for Iowa House Speaker Christopher Rants and for the 2008 Mitt Romney presidential Iowa campaign), who began the AFF lecture series with an appearance April 22 by former New York Gov. George Pataki in Des Moines. The next one will be former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania on Oct. 1 in Dubuque.

So we’ve got quite an opportunity to see a possible prez candidate this far out. Of course, it’s all part of Iowans having a role in vetting who gets down the road with some buzz in the presidential race.  Whether Ensign, 51, ultimately decides to run, or if his candidacy takes off or fizzles, you can say you got to see him in Sioux City way back when.

There’s a new news/politics Web site of note in Iowa, as Ida Grove native Tim Albrecht has launched a must-visit site. He’d tipped us to the launch about a week ago, which came with a party down in Des Moines. I’d had the impression it was going to be a blog, with the views of the well-connected Republican media expert.

But now seeing it, Albrecht, formerly House Speaker Christopher Rants’ spokesman and the Iowa spokesman for Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, instead has created a sort of Iowaized Drudge Report. The Bean Walker.com is full of links to the state’s bloggers, newspapers, TV stations and top stories of interest, and so far has one high-profile advertiser, (Steve) King for Congress.

Consider adding The Bean Walker.com to your pulldown Web Favorites. A pretty cool name too.