Yesterday presidential candidate Newt Gingrich, R-GA., was scheduled to headline a breakfast fundraising event in Urbandale, Iowa for Jeff Mullen, who is running for the state Senate. Cost was $35 for an individual and $50 for a couple.

Mullen told the Iowa Republican “I know Iowans are being bombarded with Presidential Candidates this close to the Iowa Caucus but we’ve got to keep in mind that our Iowa Senate is at a pivotal position.”

Earlier this week Gingrich saw a surge in the polls, after suffering campaign setbacks last summer. News also broke this week, however, that Gingrich earned at least $1.6 million consulting for mortgage company Freddie Mac, which is putting him under new scrutiny. On Wednesday the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held hearings criticizing Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae for lavish bonuses to executives.

Gov. Harley Barbour, R-Miss., and presidential candidate Herman Cain will be joining forces at the 2011 Statesman of the Year Dinner in Sarasota, Fla.  Barbour, a former Republican National Committee chairman, is being honored at this event to benefit the Republican Party of Sarasota County. In October, Barbour told The Hill that his wife would vote for Cain if the election were on that day.

We just went by the Epic nightclub, where a party for the Republican Governors Association (RGA) was underway, sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, the National Mining Association, and the American Gas Association.

Yet again, we were turned away by a pleasant gatekeeper, who did confirm that it was Mississippi Governor “Haley Barbour’s party” that we were not allowed to attend. “I’m sorry, but you’re not on the list.” Who was on the list? I looked while she paged through it and saw some company names leap out: Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and the lobbying firm the Dutko Group.

Meanwhile, there was a lot of energy on the streets. Outside the RGA party protestors rallied. We saw some folks from Code Pink and some people who described themselves as “lobbyists for lobbyists” protesting what they said were Sen. John McCain’s and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s ties to big oil.

A few blocks away a different crowd gathered in front of the Target Center. It was a group of Ron Paul supporters, who had attended a “Rally for the Republic” featuring Paul. Paul had tried and failed to get a speaking role at the Republican National Convention. The event’s organizers claimed they sold over 10,000 tickets.