Pawlenty to attend event hosted by Ralph Reed’s Iowa organization

Tim Pawlenty and two other potential 2012 presidential candidates, along with some of Iowa’s leading Republicans, will be in attendance for the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition’s Spring Event on March 7.

The group, which is the Iowa arm of Ralph Reed‘s national organization, announced Monday that former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza Herman Cain, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum will attend. In addition to the potential presidential hopefuls, Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and conservative U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) will also be attending the event.

Reed, the former head of the Christian Coalition and a veteran Republican strategist, founded the Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition last March. Formerly known as the Iowa Christian Alliance, the group vowed to be an influential voice in Iowa politics and the Iowa Caucuses, with Reed saying if he could raise $500,000, Hawkeye State politics would be changed for the better.

Santorum was its first guest, followed in October by U.S. Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.). Shortly before the November election, the group ran a TV ad attacking U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-Iowa). Its local leader, Steve Scheffler, is also one of three Iowans serving on the Republican National Committee.

The event is set to take place at Point of Grace church in Waukee. The church’s pastor, Jeff Mullen, garnered headlines last year when he launched two websites aimed at convincing pastors to preach in opposition of three state Supreme Court justices up for a retention vote. Many believe his actions violated federal tax law, which forbids 501(c)3 organizations, including churches, from intervening in elections in support of or opposition to any candidate.