2010 Iowa Governor - Branstad vs. Culver

In 2006, Chet Culver became only the second Democrat to succeed another Democrat as governor in the state’s history. His tenure has been rocky, as he sought to govern a largely conservative state in a fairly progressive/liberal manner. He raised the minimum wage, pushed through funding for stem cell research, and raised the state’s cigarette tax. He has also been associated with the state Supreme Court’s ruling declaring the state’s same sex marriage ban unconstitutional.

In the general election, Culver has drawn Terry Branstad as his opponent. Branstad was a fairly popular governor of the state from 1982 through 1998, and decided to rejoin the fray this year. Branstad has led Culver by huge margins this year, including a 57-31 lead in a recent Rasmussen Reports poll. Culver sports an approval rating in the 30s, and hasn’t topped 42 percent in any poll against Branstad this cycle. Numbers like these are absolutely deadly to incumbents; Culver would join a very small group of politicians should he manage a comeback.