Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
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The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats visited one of the state’s strongest liberal strongholds Tuesday morning, and 30 minutes into the event, only a handful of Vander Plaats supporters had gathered at Hamburg Inn in Iowa City.
Former Gov. Terry Branstad, another contender for the GOP nomination, held an event at the same venue earlier this year, drawing a crowd of at least 100.
Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats speaks with supporters at Hamburg Inn in Iowa City Tuesday morning (photo by Adam B Sullivan/The Iowa Independent).
Almost half of Johnson County voters are registered as Democrats. Less than 20 percent are Republicans. In the 2002 primary, Vander Plaats garnered the fewest Johnson County votes among the Republicans vying for the governorship.
Vander Plaats shrugged off the small turnout, attributing it to the 8 a.m. start time, and denied Branstad’s less conservative positions would put him in a better position in Iowa’s more liberal counties.
“I wouldn’t accept that premise at all. What it is is I think I’m more trusted,” Vander Plaats said to questions about whether Branstad was more moderate.
Vander Plaats, who is making his third run for the Republican nomination for governor, said he’s confident he’ll be competing against Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in November but stopped short of indicating who his lieutenant governor candidate might be.
“Whether it’s a running mate I’m looking for or department heads I’m looking for, they’re going to share my core values and convictions, but they will have different experiences and different expertise. I don’t want clones of Bob Vander Plaats,” he said.
While he didn’t specifically rule out either of his primary opponents, Branstad and state Rep. Rod Roberts, Vander Plaats said those “core values” consist of sanctity of human life, traditional marriage and understanding of the constitution. Vander Plaats has repeatedly criticized Branstad for choosing Joy Corning — who he calls a “pro-choice, pro-gay rights activist” — as a running mate in 1990 and 1994.
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