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APPLE VALLEY, Minn. (AP) - State Rep. Pat Garofalo sings the praises of the nations fracking revolution while he wipes down his electric car.

Let that sink in for a bit.

Nearly every day for the next five months, Garofalo will drive his jet black Tesla Model S from his home in Farmington to the Capitol. After parking his electric car - in a lot full of Democrats less-stylish hybrids - hell rail against energy subsidies for solar power and call for more pipelines to carry crude from North Dakotas oilfields across Minnesota.

Now chairman of a committee handling energy issues after Republicans won back the state House in the fall, Garofalo is also working out how to make electric cars easier and more attractive to buy. Hes mum on details, but hinted at tapping into money tied into the states solar energy subsidies.

He insists oil drilling, clean energy and electric cars arent, and shouldnt be, mutually exclusive. But he does recognize the oddity of a Republican driving a sleek electric sports car and not, say, a pickup truck.

Im more of a nerd than an ideologue, Garofalo, a network engineer by trade, said with a shrug over lunch last week.

The luxury electric carmaker Tesla is a poster-child for green energy, technology and, most recently, government subsidies. Nevada forked over a $1.3 billion tax incentive package last year to bring the companys new battery production facility to the state.

After more than 18 months of scoping out Tesla cars, Garofalo got his in November. He wouldnt say how much he paid, but his sedan model starts at $70,000 new.

Is it extravagant? Yeah. Is it a mid-life crisis? Absolutely, he said.

Two months later, his enthusiasm for his new ride falls somewhere between a scientists curiosity and a child who just unwrapped a new toy. He lovingly describes every feature, from the high-tech braking system that actually stores energy to the GPS navigation system to how the glove compartment opens. And he still grins as he guns it to 60 mph with ease.

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Republican lawmaker in an electric car, and loving it

By Luke Johnson, RFE/RL

WASHINGTON -- Should U.S. President Barack Obama and Western powers reach a nuclear deal with Iran, they could face a new hurdle: a Republican Congress.

Republicans are eyeing various Iran-related measures, including legislation to impose fresh sanctions should talks fail and to require congressional review of any deal.

The Obama administration opposes new sanctions during the negotiating period and Iran has said that they could pull out of talks should Congress pass new sanctions.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill on January 7, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker said Iran was "very much front-burner" for the new Congress.

"Surely you would think Congress would want to weigh in on a nuclear negotiation," Corker, a Republican from Tennessee, said.

But with senior U.S. officials slated to meet with Iranian officials next week in Geneva, the White House wants Congress to give its negotiators room to maneuver.

"We have long believed that Congress should not consider any new sanctions while negotiations are under way, in order to give our negotiators the time and space they need to fully test the current diplomatic opportunity," a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told RFE/RL.

"New sanctions threaten the diplomatic process currently under way."

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia said European diplomats involved in the negotiations have also expressed concern about potential new sanctions in a recent meeting.

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New Republican Majority Wants A Say On Obama's Iran Talks

MO House Republican Caucus 2015 Opening Day Press Conference
Missouri House of Representatives- Speaker John Diehl and the MO House Republican caucus met with members of the press following the start of the 2015 legislative session.

By: MOHOUSECOMM

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MO House Republican Caucus 2015 Opening Day Press Conference - Video

Irish Republican Army v3.0 (Site Base)

By: Ninou Cesar

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Irish Republican Army v3.0 (Site Base) - Video

The event has been criticized by some conservatives for being irrelevant, but the unanimous vote by the party's Central Committee to continue it is a sign that local Republicans still see the straw poll as an important early test for presidential candidates.

"The Central Committee recognizes the straw poll fundraiser is not only an important organizing event for Iowa Republicans, but also provides the only opportunity during the Iowa Caucus process where candidates can speak to tens of thousands of voters in a single event," Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.

The straw poll was first held in 1979 when it was won by George H.W. Bush and traditionally it takes place on the Iowa State University campus in Ames. The event is part carnival and part political conference -- where voters, journalists and political operatives are pursued by candidates. It is a major fundraising tool for the Iowa Republican Party. Candidates rent space -- often air-conditioned -- as they try to build support among those gathered who are often bussed in from other parts of Iowa as well as out of state.

The last straw poll in 2011 proved to be a false indicator, as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann won, and Texas Rep. Ron Paul was close behind in second place. Neither candidate ended up in the top two places in the 2012 caucuses in which former Sen. Rick Santorum was the victor.

In 2007, Mitt Romney won the straw poll only to go on to lose to former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in that cycle's caucuses.

After the 2012 election Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad questioned the usefulness of the straw poll, saying he fears the straw poll is no longer representative and that its a turn off for candidates. In 2012 Romney skipped the event all together and went on to become the Republican presidential nominee.

Only one Republican non-incumbent has won the straw poll and gone on to occupy the Oval Office: George W. Bush in 2000.

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GOP tradition lives on: Ames Iowa Straw Poll planned for August