(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The race to replace Tom Vilsack in Iowa remains closely contested, according to a poll by Research 2000. 44 per cent of respondents in the Hawkeye State would support Democratic Iowa state secretary Chet Culver in the gubernatorial election, while 43 per cent would vote for Republican United States congressman Jim Nussle.
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – The race to replace Tom Vilsack in Iowa remains closely contested, according to a poll by Research 2000. 44 per cent of respondents in the Hawkeye State would support Democratic Iowa state secretary Chet Culver in the gubernatorial election, while 43 per cent would vote for Republican United States congressman Jim Nussle.
Vilsack—a Democrat—was first elected in 1998, and earned a new term in the November 2002 election, defeating Republican challenger Doug Gross with 53 per cent of the vote. Vilsack has been mentioned as a possible Democratic presidential nominee in 2008.
Nussle holds a six-point lead against former U.S. congressman Mike Blouin, and a 10-point edge over state legislator Ed Fallon.
Last month, Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats dropped out of the race for the GOP nod, and joined Nussle as his running mate, declaring, “Our biggest difference would have been on electibility and what we found out is that we are way more electible together in combining our strengths and focusing on our weaknesses.”
On Mar. 25, the state’s largest coalition of labour unions—the Iowa Federation of Labor (IFL)—endorsed Blouin. The Democratic primary is scheduled for Jun. 6, with the gubernatorial election following on Nov. 7.
Polling Data
If the 2006 election for governor were held today, who would you vote for if the choices were…
Jim Nussle (R) 43% – 44% Chet Culver (D)
Jim Nussle (R) 43% – 37% Michael Blouin (D)
Jim Nussle (R) 44% – 34% Ed Fallon (D)
Source: Research 2000
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 600 likely Iowa voters, conducted from Mar. 20 to Mar. 22, 2006. Margin of error is 3.5 per cent.
