CSPG: Elections - 2006 Candidate Profiles - Iowa

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Elections: 2006 Candidate Profiles

Iowa - Governor

Summary | History | Outlook | Polls

Chet Culver (Democrat)

Website: www.chetculver.com

Jim Nussle (Republican)

Website: www.jimnussle.com

Kevin Litten (Libertarian)

Website: www.shrinkiowagov.org/governor.html

Wendy S. Barth (Green)

Website: www.votewendy.org

Mary J. Martin (Socialist Workers)

Website: N/A

Summary:

This is an open race to fill the office currently held by two-term Democratic governor Tom Vilsack.

Chet Culver is currently serving as Iowa's Secretary of State. The son of former Senator John Culver, Chet Culver also worked as an educator and an investigator in the Attorney General''s Office. Culver is campaigning to create jobs and increase the state minimum wage, improve education and make college more affordable, encourage home grown power and new technologies, make health care more affordable, and repeal the state's ban on stem cell research.

Jim Nussle, an 8-term Representative in the U.S. House (6-terms in the 1st District, 2-terms in the 2nd District) is campaigning to provide more affordable health care, to have Iowa schools set the standard for a world-class education, to encourage renewable energy sources, to create jobs to strengthen the state's economy, and to create an Office of Inspector General to clean-up Iowa government.

Kevin Litten, a pharmacist, ran for Iowa's 2nd House district in 2002 (receiving 2 percent of the vote) and in 2004. Litten is campaigning to reduce the size of Iowa government, to eliminate state property taxes, to encourage charter schools, to create transparency in government by illuminating where money is spent, and to give Iowans the right to propose ballot initiatives.

Wendy Barth, a software engineer, is campaigning for a healthier environment, alternative and renewable energy sources, protecting Iowans from lenders using predatory interest rates, reducing the cost of insurance and prescription drugs, universal health care, creating a new national guard that is immune from federal authority (to send troops to Iraq), ending the death penalty, preserving a woman's right to an abortion, and helping to save Social Security.

History:

Tom Vilsack's back-to-back victories in 1998 and 2002 ended a string of nine consecutive GOP gubernatorial victories in Iowa, dating back to five-term Governor Robert Ray's first win in 1968. Vilsack's fairly narrow victory margins of eight (2002) and six (1998) points are reflective of the willingness of Iowans to take a close look at candidates from both parties (the makeup of Iowa's US Senate delegation also illustrates this point: the state is represented by 5-term Republican Charles Grassley and 4-term Democrat Tom Harkin).

Outlook:

The Nussle-Culver matchup has been tight and fierce, making it the most expensive campaign for any office in Iowa history - with contributions topping $13 million to date. The race has been a toss-up all year, with the race tied in three straight public polls in September and October. This race should go down to the wire and will be closely watched throughout the Upper Midwest and the nation.

Polls:

Poll	Date	Culver	Nussle	Other	No opinion		Sample	MoE
Iowa Poll³	October 31 – November 1, 2006	52%	43%	1%	4%		756 LV	± 3.6
KCCI-TV / Research 2000²	October 30-31, 2006	50%	45%	2%	3%		600 LV	± 4.0
Rasmussen²	October 19, 2006	47%	44%	8%			500 LV	± 4.5
KCCI-TV / Research 2000¹	October 16-17, 2006	49%	44%	1%	6%		600 LV	± 4.0
Iowa Poll³	October 8-11, 2006	46%	39%	3%	12%		800 LV	± 3.5
Rasmussen²	October 5, 2006	42%	42%	16%			500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	September 19-25, 2006	46%	46%	8%			558 LV	± 4.2
Iowa Poll³	September 10-13, 2006	44%	44%	2%	10%		600 LV	± 4.0
KCCI-TV / Research 2000¹	September 11-12, 2006	48%	43%	9%			600 LV	± 4.0
Zogby / WSJ	August 29 – September 5, 2006	43%	46%	11%			N/A	N/A
Rasmussen²	August 21, 2006	42%	40%	18%			500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	August 15-21, 2006	48%	45%	7%			N/A	N/A
Rasmussen²	July 27, 2006	41%	38%	4%		17%	500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	July 11-19, 2006	45%	47%	8%			N/A	N/A
Zogby / WSJ	June 13-19, 2006	46%	47%	7%			N/A	N/A
KCCI-TV / Research 2000¹	May 20-22, 2006	49%	41%	10%			600 LV	± 4.0
Rasmussen²	April 25, 2006	46%	40%	14%			500 LV	± 4.5
Rasmussen²	March 29, 2006	40%	38%	12%			500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	March 21-27, 2006	42%	46%	12%			N/A	N/A
Iowa Poll³	March 20-22	44%	43%	13%			600 LV	± 4.0
Rasmussen²	February 7, 2006	41%	40%	19%			500 LV	± 4.5
Zogby / WSJ	January 6-12, 2006	43%	44%	13%			N/A	N/A
Rasmussen²	November 28, 2005	41%	38%	7%		13%	500 LV	± 4.5
KCCI-TV / Research 2000¹	November 14-16, 2005	38%	42%	20%			600 LV	± 4.0
Zogby / WSJ	October 25-31, 2005	43%	42%	15%			N/A	N/A
Zogby / WSJ	September 16-21, 2005	44%	44%	12%			N/A	N/A
KCCI-TV / Research 2000¹	May 2-4, 2005	35%	41%	24%			600 LV	± 4.0

1 "If the 2006 election for Governor were held today, who would you vote for if the choice were between Chet Culver, the Democrat, and Jim Nussle, the Republican?"

2 "If the election for Governor were held today, would you vote for Republican Jim Nussle or for Democrat Chet Culver?"

3 "If the election for Iowa governor were held today, and the candidates were Jim Nussle for the Republicans and Chet Culver for the Democrats, for whom would you vote?"