What Dems will run for Governor?

[pstans]

I have about Nussle, Vander Plaats, Gross for the Republicans, but who will run for the Democrats?

Culver?
Ed Fallon? http://www.pointblank-dm.com/cover.shtml

Who else has been rumored to run?

[Ediacara]

1. I'd imagine current governor Vilsack will run again, will he not?

[pstans]

2. He said that he wasn't going to run again

He has been saying that he wouldn't run for a long time now. At least since the summer of 04.

[ISUGRADIA]

3. Sec of State Chet Culver is raising money

Michael Blouin (State Econ Dev) appeared at an event I heard of and is making moves

State Rep Ed Fallon has a website

AG Tom Miller is a possibility as are a few others

[cascadiance]

4. Don't count out Dan Gable...

who might follow Arny/Jesse Ventura script and as a popular athlete/wrestler icon for Iowa and run for governor (probably on the Republican ticket).

[pstans]

5. Gable almost ran vs Vilsack last election

[Bluzmann57]

6. Quite frankly, if Gable runs, he wins

Dan Gable is the most successful athlete this state has ever seen and seems to be clean as a whistle. His athletes graduated and for the most part, turned out to be productive citizens. Gable attended Iowa State University and coached at The University of Iowa, so he has ties to two out of the three state run Universities here. Democrats, and other repubs, for that matter, better hope he doesn't run. I am unaware of his stance on various issues but he's most likely republican leaning.

[cyberswede]

7. I don't know...

Remember in 2001 when Gable considered running against Vilsack in 2002? I can't remember the source, but I do remember that he was on an interview show, and was completely unable to answer the relatively straightforward questions pertaining to Iowa government/politics. (He looked like * did when he answered the "sovereignty" question at the Unity convention last August).

The whole episode made him look like a laughing stock. I know he was encouraged by state Republicans to run, but nobody realized how ill-informed and ill-prepared he was to tackle Iowa politics. I wish I could find a transcript of the interview!

Here's a quote from the Des Moines Register from 11.02:

"Dan Gable sounded like a guy who stumbled into the Iowa wrestling room for the first time, took a few minutes to study the mayhem and said: "Wow, this is some brutal sport. I had no idea they went after each other like this." As it turns out, that's Gable after wandering into the political arena and seeing what goes on during an election campaign. Now, on Election Day 2002, he admits it. He had no idea what he was getting into a year and a half ago when..." (that's all I can get without buying the archive article).

I don't think he could pull it off. He's no Arnold Schwarzenegger. :)

Now, the phrase "Governor Jim Nussle" gives me the heebie-jeebies! We've GOT to make sure he's never the gov. of Iowa!
thx - cs

[Hobarticus]

8. I agree, Gable's a decent enough guy, but that's it...

He's no Schwarzenegger. Arnold's got savvy, and he's a quick learner. My impression of Gable as politician at that time was, a popular Iowan propped up by the GOP. And he looked like a lightweight.

Gov. Nussle? Ugh. I'm moving to Illinois.

[Hardrada]

14. To stop Nussle

Register repug and vote in the primaries. Also help the Vander Plaats campaign get some $$ to run ads. Nussle will respond viciously to win. That's the only way he knows how to campaign. To try to destroy his opponent. This will cause a lot of GOP folk to NOT vote for Nussle in the fall. I expect him to win the primary so that is why pre-emptive action well ahead of time is needed.

[pstans]

15. So we want Vander Plaats to win

So we want Vander Plaats to win the primary? Would he be the easiest one to beat? I would guess that NW Iowa is going to vote for the Rethugs anyway, so if Vander Plaats was the nominee he doesn't get much gain for winning his "home area" since the Rethugs would win that area no matter what.

[Hardrada]

17. That's correct.

Nussle will win eastern IA in GOP primary. V. will win western IA, not a natural constituency for slick IL lawyer Nussle but the main point is to set them against each other and it will become nasty since Nussle is one of the "Victory is the Only Thing" people.

[Hobarticus]

9. Front page of Dubuque's paper had Nussle as "front runner"...

...with a 37% favorable rating. 37% favorable is the front runner!!! His campaign manager said this was a sign of success, since he hasn't even opened a campaign.

Nussle's name recognition was somewhere in the 70 percentile.

My thinking is, if his favorable rating is in the 30's, with a name recognition in the 70's, it's a long road ahead for Diamond Jim.

The Dems weren't doing bad for not having the name recognition of Nussle.

I can't get back into the article right now, I'll add it later.

[Hobarticus]

10. Edit: article attached

This articles only lists "name recognition", doesn't have "favorable" listings. That was in a graphic that's not in the online archive. 'Magine that!

Among three Republicans, Nussle's name had the highest recognition, at 76 percent, compared to 66 percent who knew of Doug Gross, the Des Moines attorney who was the Republican's 2002 gubernatorial candidate. Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, who lost in the 2002 GOP primary, had a 42 percent recognition.

Nick Ryan, Nussle's campaign manager, said the poll, conducted by a Republican firm Bellwether Research, said the results show a foundation of support for Nussle "without him even launching a campaign."

"It's certainly very encouraging to us as the congressman continues to look at a possible candidacy for governor," Ryan said.

Nussle also bested three Democrats listed in the survey.

Secretary of State Chet Culver was recognized by 63 percent. State Rep. Ed Fallon, of Des Moines, and Iowa Director of Economic Development Mike Blouin, a former congressman from Dubuque, had recognition percentages of 26 and 27 percent, respectively.

http://www.thonline.com/story_news_frontpage.cfm?ID=68484&CFID=171190&CFTOKEN=c84ad4e8a960b26b-03354BEB-BCD2-407B-6DBA9985AE5B0B43

[terryg11]

18. possible White House help if he does run?

Nussle has been a big ally to this administration so I wonder if we might see some visits if Nussle gets the nomination not to mention help whomever runs to keep his House seat REpublican.

[Rambis]

11. Gable doesn't win

He is not a good speaker if he isn't taking motivation or wrestling. Gabe don't know politics although he is a much better choice than Sioux City fundie boy or Jim Nazi! OI!

[IowaGuy]

12. re: Dan Gable....

probably a decent enough of a guy....just kind of wonder what skeletons are in the closet re: roids and his wrestlers. To the casual observer there sure were a lot of "incidents" in Iowa City bars between wrestlers and others that could be easil;y attributed to a combo of alcohol and roid rage....

[Rambis]

13. Rico and Zadick

Those guys were fuckin nuts and I mean that. Rico is nuttier than squirrel shit and Zadick was arrested for beating up a guy and his car in the parking lot of the field house not to long ago. :crazy:

[9119495]

16. Possibly Pat Murphy

He is a well connected state rep form Dubuque with an Iowa Friendly moderate streak.