Mr. Las Vegas campaigns before his gig in Iowa

Entertainer Wayne Newton headlined a fundraiser for Republican U-S Senate candidate Greg Ganske before giving a free concert last night in Altoona. Wayne Newton had his first gold record at the age of 21 when “Danke Schoen” topped the charts. Newton, who is known as “Mr. Las Vegas” because of his stage shows, didn’t sing at all for the crowd of about 85 Ganske supporters who gathered yesterday in Des Moines. He gave a speech and talked about his political views, then posed for pictures and signed autographs. Newton says he’s politically active because he’s an American. He says he hopes his status as a performer might make people take interest in his views, and he says being an American gives him the right to express his views.Newton says it’s time for all Americans to become politically active. Newton says he did the Ganske gig because President Bush asked him to. He says the White House found out he was going to be in Iowa and he says the President is a big supporter of Ganske. Former Governor Robert Ray introduced Newton to the predominantly female crowd and got some laughs when he began by asking folks to turn off their tape recorders, a joke spawned by the current controversy over the secret taping of a Ganske campaign fundraiser.