...and that doesn't even count the presidential nomination races kicking off there every fourth year.
I can't believe I managed to hold on to this until Friday. Good stuff from Iowa:
Hat tip to Jonathan Martin for the link.
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Great ad.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone more familiar with Iowa politics know why Branstad not only has such a sizeable lead in the polls over Culver, but has such a big lead when every other Republican in the state is trailing Culver badly? Branstad hasn't been governor in quite a while, and it isn't like he was winning with 70% of the vote when he was; he got 57% in 1994, impressive until you consider that he was a three-term incumbent in a very Republican year. Certainly not enough to explain the poll numbers.
It is a rather curious situation, isn't it? I think there are a couple of factors at play. First, Branstad is a known quantity, whereas the other Republicans are not. What's Vander Plaats got? A Huckabee endorsement? Secondly, Branstad went out on a good note. The late '90s was a good time to be leaving office. Thad Beyle from FHQ alma mater, UNC, sums this second point up nicely in a recent Des Moines Register piece on the subject:
ReplyDelete"They see him as having presided during good times,” said Thad Beyle, a University of North Carolina political scientist who studies gubernatorial approval.
"They are kind of looking back and thinking things aren’t that great and might have been better when he was in charge."
If Branstad jumps in and is the nominee, his numbers will change once the campaign starts. Still, that is a sizable margin.