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At least two of the individuals listed on Campaigns & Elections magazine's list of 2007 Rising Stars have direct ties to Iowa.

Former deputy coordinated campaign director for the Iowa Democratic Party Jessica VandenBerg was instrumental in the successful elections of U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin and then-Gov. Tom Vilsack. She is currently a partner at Maverick One, a Democratic strategy and direct-mail firm, and is campaign manager for the ONE Campaign's ONE Vote '08 initiative. She is best known nationally for her role as campaign manager in U.S. Sen. Jim Webb's upset victory over former Sen. George "Macaca" Allen in Virginia. She was also campaign manager for Sen. Amy Klobuchar's primary campaign in Minnesota and Oklahoma campaign manager for Gen. Wesley Clark's presidential bid in 2004.

Mammen Group Vice President Josh Grossfeld helped start Democratic GAIN and develop a 6,000-person training at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. During the course of his career he has worked with the AFL-CIO, the Iowa House Democratic Caucus and AARP.

The list compiled by Campaigns & Elections includes individuals age 35 or younger who have already made a significant mark in political consulting or advocacy. This list includes 10 Democrats, 10 Republicans and five nonpartisan leaders. Several hundred people were nominated, according to the magazine.