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Iowa gubernatorial election, 2010
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In the Iowa gubernatorial election of 2010, held on November 2, 2010, Republican Terry E. Branstad defeated incumbent Democrat Chet Culver. Branstad is himself a former Governor of Iowa.
Following the June 8, 2010 primary elections, Chet Culver was nominated without any primary opposition. Branstad took just over 50% of the vote to secure the GOP nomination.
One indication of the competitiveness of 2010's gubernatorial election was the surge in GOP voter registration. Iowa had been shifting to a blue state prior to the primaries. During the 2008 cycle, Democrats enjoyed a six figure lead in registered voters; that fall, Barack Obama carried the state by ten points. However, on July 6, 2010, Secretary of State Mike Mauro (D) announced that June saw Republicans gain 37,000 registered voters while the Democrats lost 10,000 - effectively halving the latter's voter lead going into the general elections. Unaffiliated voters fell by approximately 23,000 while the total change in all registered voters inched up slightly, hovering just below 4,000. This would seem to indicate a shift in the partisan sympathies of Hawkeye voters.[1]
November 2, 2010 general election results
Results are current as of November 30, 2010 and were officially certified by the Secretary of State on November 29th. The official final canvass is now available online.[2]
| 2010 Iowa gubernatorial general election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote Percentage | |
| Democratic Party | Chet Culver | 42.85% | |
| Republican Party |  Terry E. Branstad
|
52.15% | |
| Socialist | Dave Rosenfeld | 0.24% | |
| Libertarian Party | Eric Cooper | 1.27% | |
| Independent | Jonathan Narcisse | 1.88% | |
| Independent | Gregory James Hughes | 0.34% | |
| Other | write-ins | 0.25% | |
| Other | spoilt ballots | 1.01% | |
| Total Votes | 1,131,434 | ||
Inauguration and transition
Inaugural date
Terry E. Branstad will be sworn into office on the evening on January 14, 2011. Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Reynolds resigned her seat on the state Senate on November 12, 2010 to concentrate on the transition effort.[3] Her seat will be filled in a special election, with a date most likely to be set by out-going Gov. Chet Culver before his term expires.
Transition team
The transition site for both Governor-elect Branstad and Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Reynolds is at GovernorBranstad.com. The day after the election, David Roederer was named as chief of the transition effort. In Branstad's first administration, Roederer served as Chief of Staff. Jeffrey Boeyink, already tapped as Chief of Staff to Governor Branstad, will assist him as transition co-chair.
Appointments in the Branstad Administration
In addition to naming campaign manager Jeffrey Boeyink as Chief of Staff, Tim Albrecht will serve as Communications Director for both the transition and in Branstad's administration.[4] Boeyink worked for the campaign in the same capacity.
In addition to his work on the administrative transition, Davod Roederer has more recently been announced as the Director of Public Management, a job he will begin as soon as Governor-elect Branstad is sworn in.[5]
June 8, 2010 primary
Iowa's Secretary of State certified results and released the official vote counts on July 1, 2010.[6]
| 2010 Race for Governor - Democrat Primary[7] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
 Chet Culver (D)
|
100.00% | |||
| Total votes | 56,293 | |||
| 2010 Race for Governor - Republican Primary[8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Terry E. Branstad (R)
|
50.33% | |||
| Rod Roberts | 8.75% | |||
| Bob Vander Plaats (R) | 40.92% | |||
| (write-in) | 0.0% | |||
| Total votes | 227,404 | |||
Race ratings
See also: Gubernatorial elections 2010, Race tracking
| 2010 Race Rankings Iowa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race Tracker | Race Rating | |||
| The Cook Political Report[9] | Likely Republican | |||
| Congressional Quarterly Politics[10] | Toss-up | |||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball[11] | Likely Republican | |||
| Rasmussen Reports Gubernatorial Scorecard[12] | Solid GOP | |||
| The Rothenberg Political Report[13] | Republican Favored | |||
| Overall Call | Republican | |||
Changes
3. Cook moved race from "Safe Republican" to "Likely Republican" on October 29th.
2. Cook moved race from "Likely Republican" to "Safe Republican" as of October 24th.
1. Cook Political Report changes race from "Toss-up" to "Likely Republican" in September 30th ratings.
Polling
General election polling
| 2010 Race for Iowa Governor - Rasmussen Reports | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date Reported | Branstad (R) | Culver (D) | Other | Don't Know | |
| September 23, 2010[14] | 55% | 37% | 4% | 4% | |
| August 4, 2010[15] | 52% | 36% | 8% | 4% | |
| June 14, 2010[16] | 57% | 31% | 6% | 6% | |
| (Sample)[17] | n=500 | MoE=+/- 4.5% | p=0.05 | ||
Candidates
| The November Ballot – Who Made It? Iowa Governor[18] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nominee | Affiliation | ||||
| Chet Culver, with Patty Judge | Democrat | ||||
| Terry E. Branstad, with Kim Reynolds | Republican | ||||
| Jonathan Narcisse, with Richard Marlar | Iowa Party | ||||
| Eric Cooper, with Nick Weltha | Libertarian | ||||
| Dave Rosenfeld, with Helen Meyers | Socialist Workers Party | ||||
| Gregory James Hughes, with Robin Prior-Calef | (nominated by petition) | ||||
| This lists candidates who won their state's primary or convention, or who were unopposed, and who were officially certified for the November ballot by their state's election authority. | |||||
Constitution
- Rick Phillips, who ran a campaign focused on socially conservative values, gathered signatures to petition on to the ballot.
Democratic
- Chester John 'Chet' Culver, the incumbent, was unopposed in the primary season. He served as the Secretary of State before winning election to the governorship in 2006.
Independent
- Jonathan Narcissee, a Democrat, announced he would run as an Independent on March 18, 2010, citing voter desire to see a nonpartisan candidate. He opted to petition on to the November ballot.
Libertarian
- Eric Cooper, who has previously run for the Iowa legislature, is a cognitive psychologist specializing in visual perception.
Republican
- Former governor Terry E. Branstad holds Iowa's record for the longest serving governor. Before assuming office, he was Lt. Gov. and served three term on the State House. He assumed the Presidency of Des Moines University after leaving the governor's office.
- Bob Vander Plaats, an unsuccessful 2002 candidate for governor, is managing partner of a leadership development firm and COO of a foundation dedicated to working with sufferers of spinal cord injuries.
- Former State Representative Rob A. Roberts[19]
Socialist Worker's Party
- David Rosenfeld
Endorsements
NRA
Iowa is among the few state where the National Rile Association made a gubernatorial endorsement in favor of the Democrat, officially backing Chet Culver.[20]
Gubernatorial electoral history
| 1998 Gubernatorial Results[21] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Vilsack (D) | 52.30% | |||
| Lightfoot (R) | 46.51% | |||
| Henneger (REF) | 0.59% | |||
| Schaefer (NL) | 0.33% | |||
| Kennis (petition) | 0.21% | |||
| Total votes | 956,415 | |||
| 2002 Gubernatorial Results[22] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Tom Vilsack (D) | 52.69% | |||
| Doug Gross (R) | 44.53% | |||
| Jay Robinson (G) | 1.43% | |||
| Clyde Cleveland (L) | 1.28% | |||
| Total votes | 1,205,802 | |||
| 2006 Gubernatorial Results[23] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Chet Culver (D) | 53.75% | |||
| Nussle (R) | 44.14% | |||
| Barth (G) | 0.74% | |||
| Litten (L) | 0.55% | |||
| Martin (SW) | 0.19% | |||
| Total votes | 1,059,064 | |||
Presidential electoral history
| 2000 Presidential Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| George W. Bush (R) | 48.2% | |||
| Al Gore (D) | 48.5% | |||
| 2004 Presidential Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| George W. Bush (R) | 49.9% | |||
| John Kerry (D) | 49.2% | |||
| 2008 Presidential Results[24] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| John McCain (R) | 44.4% | |||
| Barack Obama (D) | 53.9% | |||
| 1992 Presidential Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| George H.W. Bush (R) | 37.3% | |||
| Bill Clinton (D) | 43.3% | |||
| 1996 Presidential Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Percentage | |||
| Bob Dole (R) | 39.9% | |||
| Bill Clinton (D) | 50.3% | |||
See also
External links
Candidate pages
- Governor Branstad 2010
- Cooper for Iowa Governor
- Chet Culver for Governor
- Narcisse for Iowa
- Rick Phillips for Governor
- Bob Vander Plaats Iowa Governor 2010
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Primary Election Impacts Voter Registration Landscape," July 6, 2010
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Results Report: 2010 General Election held Tuesday, November 2nd 2010," November 29, 2010, 8:35
- ↑ Office of Governor Elect Terry Branstad, "Reynolds resigns from state Senate seat," November 12, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Office of Governor Elect Terry Branstad, "Branstad announces key transition team and administration appointments," November 3, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Office of Governor Elect Terry Branstad, "Branstad names Roederer as head of Department of Management," November 9, 2010 (dead link)
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Official Canvas by County, July 1, 2010
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Primary Election Results, accessed July 20 2010
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State Primary Election Results, accessed July 20 2010
- ↑ The Cook Political, “Governors: Race Ratings”
- ↑ CQ Politics, “2010 Race Ratings: Governors”
- ↑ Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball', “2010 Governor Ratings”
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports', “Election 2010: Scorecard Ratings”
- ↑ Rothenberg Political Report, “Governor Ratings”
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports, “Election 2010: Iowa Governor: Branstad (R) Remains Well Ahead of Culver (D)”, September 27, 2010
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports, “Election 2010: Iowa Governor: Branstad (R) 52%, Culver (D) 36%”, August 9, 2010
- ↑ Rasmussen Reports, “Election 2010: Iowa Governor: Branstad (R) 57%, Culver (D) 31%”, June 16, 2010
- ↑ [More complete methodology and sampling tabs are available at www.RasmussenReports.com]
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, “Candidate Listing by Office, November 2, 2010 General Election”, certifed August 13, 2010
- ↑ Iowa General Assembly
- ↑ Washington Post, "NRA backs Democrats in key races, frustrating GOP," October 6, 2010
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, “IOWA GENERAL ELECTION - NOVEMBER 3, 1998”, certified November 20, 1998
- ↑ 'Iowa Secretary of State, “2002 General Election (11/5/2002) FINAL”, certified January 13,2003
- ↑ 'Iowa Secretary of State, “2006 General Election (11/7/2006) FINAL”, certified April 16, 2008
- ↑ Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections', accessed July 28, 2010
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