Chet Is Now A Machine

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2006/02/28/news/iowa/092424fc1cac246a862571230012b610.txt

Summary:

Chet Culver recently announced on Feburary 28th that he has gained the backing of the Iowa Machinist's union. The union has around 10,000 active and retired members.

Culver's rival, Mike Blouin, announced a week before that he gained the support of the AFSCME. The AFSCME is the largest union in the state of Iowa.

My commentary:
Chet Culver may have the money to properly fund his campaign, but I personally don't believe he is pulling off the right moves. The endorsement of a large union might be well, especially from an industrial and agricultural state like Iowa, but the Machinist's union is not the largest.

Right now Culver needs to concentrate on winning the biggest crowds he can. It is great that people believe his heart is in the right place when it comes down to supplying jobs to the blue collared citizens. It will most likely be them to march into the voting booths this November to alter the outcome of this election.

Judge Along For The Ride

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060216/NEWS09/602160380/1001

Summary:
Iowa's Patty Judge, who is a Democrat running for governer, dropped out of the race on Wednesday, February 15th. This now leaves Chet Culver fighting for the Democratic nomination against his opponent, Mike Blouin.

The positive side of Judge's withdrawal is Culver's choice as choosing her as his running mate. She asks for her supporters to put full support into Culver's campaign so together they can win this upcoming November.

Many advisors consider this alliance to be a plus for Culver because a woman on the list can really help undecided females of Iowa to choose Culver. The article reinstates the fact that Culver has the highest dollar amount of campaign funds on the democratic party.

My commentary:
I honestly believe this is a smart choice for Culver to take on Patty Judge as a running mate. The polls themselves show that the public does not have much opinion about the race. This turn of events has the possibility of capturing the public's eye. What Culver and Judge need to do now is collaborate on the best issues to concentrate on.

The article does state that Culver and Judge are both Pro-Choice when it comes to abortion. This is of course a touchy subject, but if thier cards are played right they should be able to overcome with a victory in November.

Money Money Money...

http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060120/NEWS09/601200357/1056
Dated as of January 19th, 2006

Summary: The reports of fundraising money was recently turned in by the running electives. Chet Culver is currently the lead Democrat with an approximate total of about $1.1 Million. The Republicans' Jim Nussle is currently leading with approximately $2.5 Million. The fundraising this year for Iowa's governor candidates has broken records, with a total approximation of about $5 Million.

With the primaries coming up soon in June, the money situation here is one of the first signs of witnessing which candidates have the proper "credibility" to run for office. Culver did get a head start in early 2005 when he had only one opponent delcared at the current time, which was definitely a plus. The article clearly states the approximate amount of every other major candidate's fundraising, but this race is clearly going to be between Chet Culver and Jim Nussle.


My commentary: As we all know, other than having a voice with the people, a candidate relies on money to get his face well known and his name across the board. With the republicans with a lead on money this year, this will be a close race. Culver is going to really have to reach out to the citizens in order to keep the Governor position Democratic.

Even though Iowa isn't one of the "big states" to win over, the Democratic party should hopefully keep their spot.

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