Fmr. Beauty Queen Chauffers Thompson Press

ABC News’ Christine Byun Reports: In 2004, as the former Miss Iowa, Carolyn Haugland’s listed talent was playing the flute.  Today, the former beauty-queen-now-Thompson-staffer shuttled the traveling press corps around the flatlands of the Hawkeye State in a cherry-red SUV.

"They filmed ‘Twister’ here and ‘Bridges of Madison County’ here too," Haugland, a former lawyer, pointed out, whizzing past landscapes of browned out farm fields and barren trees.

Haugland got her start in presidential politics at Fred Thompson’s September kick-off event in Des Moines where she sang the national anthem. She decided she wanted to join the campaign, sent in her resume and was hired to work in the communications department of the state campaign office.

"I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect from the press," Haugland laughed, recalling her initial reaction to her transportation duties for Thompson’s fourth trip to Iowa. "I just didn’t want to sit in silence for three hours."

A native Iowan, Haugland hails from Clear Lake — her family owns the field where "the music died:" the site where the plane carrying Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper crashed in 1959.

Haugland is not the only Miss Iowa to rally support for her candidate in the presidential fray: the reigning Miss Iowa said Friday that while she was "moved" by Hillary Clinton’s historic run, she was supporting Democrat John Edwards in his run for the White House.