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Revision as of 10:28, 21 February 2006 by FourthAve (talk | contribs) (Revert Jaysuschris's vandalism)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Bob Vander Plaats is currently a candidate for the 2006 Republican nomination for Governor of Iowa. Originally from Sheldon, Iowa, he now resides in Sioux City with his wife Darla and their four children.
Vander Plaats attended Northwestern College of Iowa on a basketball scholarship, and later earned Master's and Specialist's Degrees in the area of Educational Leadership from Drake University. He ran for the gubernatorial nomination in 2002, finishing third in a three-way race that was won by Doug Gross. His opponent for the 2006 nomination is Jim Nussle.
Vander Plaats has not previously held public office. His campaign acknowledges this, but seeks to emphasize this as a positive, contending that he is more in tune with Iowa issues than his opponent, who has represented the first district of Iowa in the House of Representatives for the last fifteen years. No reliable poll has been conducted to show which of the candidates is favored, but Nussle enjoys considerably more support within the national Republican Party.
Vander Plaats hopes to leverage his home in the sparsely populated, but relatively conservative western part of the state into good showing in 2006. Nussle's popularity in the vote-rich, though less Republican, eastern half of Iowa and his broader name recognition will likely be difficult to overcome. In an effort overtake Nussle, Vander Plaats has attacked him for his role, as Chairman of the House Committee on the Budget, in the Federal budget deficit and the more arcane subject of unfunded mandates and their effect on the state's budget.
Nussle also went through a messy, negatively-reported divorce, an issue Vander Plaats hopes will play in his favor among the more religious primary voters. There have been some not so discrete allusions from the Vander Plaats camp that he will eventually play this card.
References
- Dorman, Todd (January 17, 2006) Caucus appearances highlight contrast between GOP candidates for governor Quad-City Times.