Chet Culver
Chet Culver | |
---|---|
41st Governor of Iowa | |
In office January 12, 2007 – January 14, 2011 | |
Lieutenant | Patty Judge |
Preceded by | Tom Vilsack |
Succeeded by | Terry Branstad |
29th Secretary of State of Iowa | |
In office January 15, 1999 – January 12, 2007 | |
Governor | Tom Vilsack |
Preceded by | Paul Pate |
Succeeded by | Michael Mauro |
Personal details | |
Born |
Chester John Culver January 25, 1966 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse(s) | Mariclare Culver |
Alma mater |
Virginia Tech (B.A.) Drake University (M.A.) |
Religion | Presbyterian |
Chester John "Chet" Culver (born January 25, 1966) was the 41st Governor of Iowa, holding the position from 2007 to 2011. He was also elected as the Federal Liaison for the Democratic Governors Association for 2008-2009. He founded the Chet Culver Group, an energy sector consulting firm, in 2011.[1]
Early life and education
Culver was born in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Ann (Cooper) and John Culver, a former U.S. Senator from Iowa.[2] Culver attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland before attending Virginia Tech on a football scholarship. He earned a B.A. degree in political science in 1988. Later, he received a M.A. degree in Education from Drake University in 1994.[3]
Political career
After college, Culver moved to Iowa and worked as a staff member for the state Democratic Party. He worked with Bonnie Campbell on her 1990 campaign for state attorney general, serving as field director. Culver previously worked as a lobbyist under the guidance of Campbell's husband. From 1991 to 1995, Culver worked as a consumer and environmental advocate in the attorney general's office. After completing his master's degree, he took a job as a teacher in Des Moines. Working first at Roosevelt High School and then Hoover High School, he taught government and history. Culver coached sophomore football and eighth grade boys basketball during his tenure.[4]
In 1998, Culver ran for Iowa Secretary of State and won. At the age of 32, he was the youngest Secretary of State in the United States at the time. He was reelected to a second term in 2002 by a large margin. While serving at this post, he created the Iowa Student Political Awareness Club, which attempts to get students motivated to participate in politics when they reach voting age.[5] During his tenure, Culver received accolades for modernizing the office, increasing voter registration, and ensuring voter accessibility for people with disabilities.
Culver's 2006 election as Governor marked the first time that Democrats simultaneously controlled both the executive and legislative branches of Iowa's state government since the 1965–1967 session of the Iowa General Assembly. Culver is also the first Democratic governor in Iowa since Nelson G. Kraschel in 1937 to be elected to succeed another Democrat.
However, his loss when he ran for re-election in 2010 was in part due to a number of scandals during his administration, such as a “pay for play” scandal with the Ft. Dodge casino developers and donations made to Governor Culver’s campaign.[6] But the Des Moines Register noted "that scandal actually looks minor in comparison to the Governor’s former chief of staff, John Frew’s departure." Frew left office to manage the City of Cedar Rapids' new convention center project just a month after the governor's office had worked out a $15 million payment from the state to the city.[7]
Issue positions
Stem cell research
One of Culver's first initiatives was to sign legislation easing limits on types of stem cell research in Iowa. "The new legislation allows medical researchers to create embryonic stem cells through cloning. While allowing for further research, it prohibits reproductive cloning of humans." according to National Public Radio.[8] Culver said lifting the ban will "give hope to those suffering from diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's."
Culver proposed spending $12.5 million to establish a stem cell research center at the University of Iowa.[9] NPR called it a "Key Moment in the Stem Cell Debate."[8]
2008 Floods
A September 2008 poll of Iowans found 60% supporting Culver's handling of the major floods that struck Iowa and much of the Midwest.[10] A year later, Culver and other state elected officials expressed "outrage" at the slow pace of disbursement of federal funding to affected areas.[11][12]
In 2010, Culver proposed a $40 million "disaster relief fund"[13] and declared March 2010 "Flood Awareness Month."[14]
Alternative energy
Culver touts Iowa as the leading alternative "energy capital of the world".[15] He started a "power fund" to assist with that effort. The Associated Press wrote that "Gov. Chet Culver has bet much of his political future on alternative energy. The power fund was a centerpiece of his campaign for governor, and he managed to push the program through the Legislature. Lawmakers have allocated $49.6 million for the effort over the last two years."[16]
Campaign history
Culver's main opponents for the Democratic nomination were former director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development Mike Blouin and seven-term State Representative Ed Fallon. Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge was also running for the nomination, but after she withdrew from the race, she gave her support to Culver and became his running mate. Culver won the Democratic primary with 39% of the vote.
Culver faced Republican Congressman Jim Nussle of Manchester, who was unopposed in the Republican primary, in the general election. On November 7, 2006, Culver defeated Nussle in the general election, winning 54% of the vote to Nussle's 44.6%, with minor party candidates getting 1.4%.
Culver ran unsuccessfully for re-election with Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge. He was challenged by Republican four-term former governor Terry Branstad, who was running with State Senator Kim Reynolds.[17]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Terry Branstad | 589,828 | 52.86 | +8.2 | |
Democratic | Chet Culver (incumbent) | 481,590 | 43.16 | -10.8 | |
Iowa Party | Jonathan Narcisse | 20,747 | 1.28 | n/a | |
Libertarian | Eric Cooper | 14,293 | 1.28 | +0.7 | |
Socialist Workers | David Rosenfeld | 2,730 | 0.24 | +.04 | |
Petition | James Hughes | 3,846 | 0.34 | n/a | |
Write-in | n/a | 2,717 | 0.24 | n/a | |
Majority | 108,238 | ||||
Turnout | 1,047,714 | ||||
Republican gain from Democratic | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ± | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Chet Culver | 565,657 | 54.0 | +1.7 | |
Republican | Jim Nussle | 466,757 | 44.6 | +0.1 | |
Green | Wendy Barth | 7,722 | 0.7 | -0.7 | |
Libertarian | Kevin Litten | 5,621 | 0.5 | -0.8 | |
Socialist Workers | Mary Martin | 1,957 | 0.2 | n/a | |
Majority | 98,900 | 9.4 | |||
Turnout | 1,052,005 | ||||
Democratic hold | Swing | ||||
Personal life
He is a Presbyterian and has served as an elder. He is married to Mariclare Culver, who is Roman Catholic. In contrast to his wife who supported John Edwards, on February 7, 2008 in Omaha, Nebraska, he endorsed Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee in the 2008 presidential election.[18]
References
- ↑ Chet Culver Group (2011). Home page. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
- ↑ http://wcfcourier.com/news/politics/culver-competitive-spirit-translates-to-political-life/article_effe5965-56e7-5ab3-8430-1ebfeeb286c0.html
- ↑ Governor Chester J. 'Chet' Culver (IA). Project Vote Smart.
- ↑ Harder, Amy. "Access Denied". NationalJournal.com. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
- ↑ Office of Governor Chet Culver. Archived June 26, 2010, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ Vander Hart, Shane. "Corruption Week for the Culver Administration". Archived from the original on April 25, 2010.
- ↑ Vander Hart, Shane. "Corruption Week for the Culver Administration". Archived from the original on April 25, 2010.
- 1 2 "Key Moments in the Stem-Cell Debate". NPR. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ January 25, 2007 (Jan 25, 2007). "Culver Calls For Bill Lifting Embryonic Stem Cell Research Ban - Omaha News Story - KETV Omaha". Ketv.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Iowa Poll: Do flood prevention work now, 63% say | desmoinesregister.com". The Des Moines Register. September 21, 2008. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Chet Culver (D) - WhoRunsGov.com/The Washington Post". Whorunsgov.com. July 9, 2010. Archived from the original on April 5, 2010. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ Petroski, William. "anger floods". Search.desmoinesregister.com. Archived from the original on March 8, 2012. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
- ↑ "Iowa floods 2010". Des Moines Register. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ "Flood Awareness Month ~ Rebuild Iowa Office". Rio.iowa.gov. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ Todd Dorman (Jan 13, 2007). "Culver makes big energy push". Qctimes.com. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ Glover, Mike (May 24, 2009). "TH - Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin Article". Thonline.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2010. Retrieved Jul 14, 2010.
- ↑ Boshart, Rod (November 3, 2010). "Terry Branstad 'ready to lead the charge' as Iowa's governor". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ↑ "Iowa Gov. Culver Says he Will Endorse Obama". Time Magazine. February 7, 2008. Archived from the original on April 17, 2008. Retrieved Oct 25, 2008.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chet Culver. |
Wikiquote has quotations related to: Chet Culver |
- Chet Culver and Patty Judge official campaign site
Political offices | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Paul Pate |
Secretary of State of Iowa 1999–2007 |
Succeeded by Michael Mauro |
Preceded by Tom Vilsack |
Governor of Iowa 2007–2011 |
Succeeded by Terry Branstad |
Party political offices | ||
Preceded by Tom Vilsack |
Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa 2006, 2010 |
Succeeded by Jack Hatch |