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Meet Joni Scotter, Jeb Bush's Iowa superfan
01:57 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

Joni Scotter is a Republican activist and a super-volunteer on the Bush campaign, making calls for hours at a time from the campaign’s Cedar Rapids office.

“I’m root in’ for Jeb. Woohoo!” Scotter told CNN with her signature whoop adding “He’s prepared, he’s ready to go, and he will make the best president because these are trying, trying times. God bless Jeb Bush.”

Scotter, a mother of two, worked as an invoice maker and a door-to-door cable saleswoman in Chicago and Nebraska before moving to Iowa with her husband and children.

“Wherever Dick went, we went, and then we got the blessing of the blessings of all, coming to Iowa,” Scotter said.

It was in the Hawkeye State where she got involved in politics, first in the state GOP central committee, eventually serving as co-chair, and also held positions as the regional director for Republican women and a Republican women committee president.

Iowa Republican strategist Tim Albrecht, whose firm consults with the Bush campaign, has known and worked alongside Scotter, whom he describes as “legendary,” since 2000.

“Every campaign has a mom and Joni plays that role well,” Albrecht said. “She is the most positive, outspoken, friendly person you’ll ever meet and she is definitely the epitome of the campaign mom. She makes everybody feel better and makes sure everybody’s fed. You know her by her signature woohoo. You always know where Joni is. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and she without question is the top ‘get’ in terms of volunteers.”

Albrecht said Scotter is one of the first campaign volunteers any presidential will call as they begin to build a campaign organization in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

“She’s a humble Iowan, she doesn’t expect all of the accolades and the phone calls she receives, but she deserves every one of them that keep coming for her for years and years.”

And Scotter represents just one of thousands of Iowans who devote their time and energy to the Iowa caucus process in both parties. Those volunteers are central to any campaign’s organization leading up to the caucuses.

“You cannot overstate the importance of having a Joni Scotter in every county, if not as many precincts as you can find somebody. The Joni Scotters of the world are the lifeblood of the Iowa caucus organization. Iowa is special because you can’t simply come here, purchase a bunch of TV ads, and expect that to help you win alone. Now certainly, that’s a part, but there’s nothing that can replace organization. Anybody in this state will tell you if you have the choice between TV ads only or organization only, they would take organization without question. There is no way to measure the value of a solid organization working in Iowa’s 99 counties,” Albrecht said.

Scotter will be busy making as many calls as she can for Jeb between now and caucus night, February 1.

“I have had every opportunity in this whole wide world, and it’s so diversified. You get nose-to-nose with every candidate. Who would ever dream that one could have such an experience in life? And you find that you’re part of history. And I never dreamed that a person 74 years old could be a part of history. It is just so amazing,” she said.