Stories

Plans to institute massive layoffs in two state departments will go forward unless union leadership agrees to reopen their contracts in order to find savings, Gov. Chet Culver said Wednesday.

Gov. Chet Culver has scheduled a press conference at 3 p.m. Wednesday to announce the plans for cutting $565 million from the state’s budget.

After a day of back-and-forth between the Des Moines Register and Gov. Chet Culver’s office about the precise definition of a “10 percent salary cut,” the issue has been resolved.

Proposed budget cuts could result in 791 layoffs and 529 vacant positions left open, according to plans submitted by directors of state agencies Wednesday.

With former Gov. Terry Branstad’s tentative entrance into the already crowded field of Republican gubernatorial candidates, conventional wisdom dictates that several lesser-known hopefuls will likely exit the race.
Branstad has high name recognition and will undoubtedly be able to raise a huge campaign war chest quickly, which will likely drain resources and attention from his opponents.
But [...]

Gov. Chet Culver’s 2010 reelection campaign has launched its new official Web site.

Four-term former Gov. Terry Branstad announced his retirement as president of Des Moines University Friday, declining to name himself as a gubernatorial candidate for 2010.

More than a year before the 2010 general election, on the day former Gov. Terry Branstad announces his candidacy for a fifth term, incumbent Democratic Gov. Chet Culver released a television ad touting his management of Iowa’s budget:

Incumbent Democratic Gov. Chet Culver would lose to former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad by five percentage points if the election were held today, according to the latest Research 2000 poll.
The October poll of 600 likely voters commissioned by the liberal blog Daily Kos found Branstad bests Culver 48-43 in the hypothetical matchup, with a margin [...]

Gov. Chet Culver has set Nov. 24 as the date for a special election to fill the vacancy in Iowa House District 33. The election was made necessary by the resignation of Rep. Dick Taylor (D-Cedar Rapids).