Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Blog: Iowa's Race for the Governor

Iowa's Race for the Governor

As the weather gets colder in Iowa, the gubernatorial election is heating up.

Current Governor Chet Culver is running against former Governor Terry Branstad, who was Governor from 1983-1999. Culver is a Democrat while Branstad is a Republican. Just hours before election day, polls show that former Governor Branstad is leading Governor Culver by 12 points. Both candidates are confident that the voters will turn out strong for their cause. But who will win?

Culver has been Governor since 2006. This is his first term. On October 12, Governor Culver came to Davenport to talk about what he will do if he is elected as governor again.

"The future of Iowa is the most important issue in this race by fighting to make Iowa the renewable energy capital of the United States," Governor Culver told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. Right now Iowa is building a smart grid in order to be able to export that power to other areas.

Terry Branstad was governor for 13 years and was Iowa's longest serving governor. Governor Branstad decided to run again because he felt that Iowa needed to get back on track. He feels that with his experience and track record, he is the person for the job. The most important issue to Governor Branstad is that Iowa needs more jobs and a boost for our economy.

"Iowa has the highest level of unemployment we've had in the past 24 years," Branstad told the Scholastic Kids Press Corps. "There's a lot of people out there right now that can't find work."

He also feels that we need to improve education here in Iowa.

"Iowa used to be near the top of the list in leading education. Now we are somewhere in the middle," Branstad said at the Davenport Municipal Airport.

The one concern people seem to have in common this election is the economy and jobs. With the unemployment rate high, voters want to see change.

"The economy is not going well. I would like to see that change," Jeff Terronez, a lifelong Democrat, told Scholastic.

Jamie VanFossen is a Republican and a former Iowa State Representative from Davenport. He feels that the economy is also a major issue in this election. He would like to see more jobs become available, especially for those who are just finishing college. "The economy needs to be the main priority in everyone's mind," VanFossen said.

Whatever the outcome of this election, voters from both parties feel that this election will be a reflection on how the people feel about the job that President Obama is doing.

—Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe

Photos: (top) Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe with Iowa Governor Chet Culver, (bottom) Kid Reporter Alysa Goethe with former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad. (Photos courtesy Alysa Goethe)