The Huckabee Show, weekdays, on TV soon…

“The Huckabee Show” — a show to air on weekdays on FOX TV affiliates – will debut at the end of this month.  Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, has had a week-daily radio show called The Huckabee Report and a weekend show on the FOX Channel.

Research 2000 polling controversy

There has been controvery this week about a polling firm which has conducted polls in Iowa.  Politico has a piece today, talking about the Research 2000 polls in the U.S. Senate race in Arkansas.  Here’s the Research 2000 website, which features on its front page a map about President Obama’s poll ratings, but the map hasn’t been updated since April 11, 2010. 

This debate started when Markos Moulitsas (the founder of Daily Kos) accused the company of manipulating data.  Daily Kos used the firm for many of its polls in the past year and a half. The Des Moines TV station KCCI has used Research 2000 as well.

Only a few Iowa bloggers have been talking about the controversy. A Research 2000 poll for KCCI in late May, early June showing a close race in Iowa between Chuck Grassley and Roxanne Conlin, while another firm’s poll soon after showed Grassley far ahead of Conlin.   Bleeding Heartland has a post on the controversy, as does The Iowa Independent. 

Greg Sargent of The Washington Post has looked at the lawsuit filed against Research 2000.  Pollster.com has a piece on the controversy, too.  This afternoon, Nate Silver at FiveThirtyEight.com did more analysis, focusing on the number of polls Research 2000 was doing for Daily Kos and the amount and timing of payment for said polls.

Huckabee talks about ‘12; Huckabee staffer talks about Iowa governor’s race

Here’s the full transcript from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s June 27, 2010 appearance on FOX News Sunday.  Host Chris Wallace pressed Huckabee about a run for the White House in 2012. 

WALLACE: Governor, let’s turn to your political future. Where are you on the idea of running for president in 2012?

HUCKABEE: Well, as I’ve said to so many people — and I get asked the question — it doesn’t matter where I am. 

“…I have been very adamant that no decision like this would be, should be, or could be made until after the 2010 elections. That’s where our focus needs to be. What happens after that, God only knows and He hasn’t told anyone yet.

WALLACE: But you — clearly, you’re leaving the door open.

HUCKABEE: I haven’t closed the door. I think that would be foolish on my part, especially when poll after poll shows that there is strong sentiment out there. I end up leading a lot of the polls. I’m the Republican that clearly, at this point, does better against Obama than any other Republican. You know, I’m not totally unaware of that.

Read more

Democrats elect Dvorsky chair

Late Monday the Iowa Democratic Party issued a news release about something that happened last Sunday, so I’m getting to it late Tuesday afternoon. 

SCC Elects Dvorsky Chair, Kiernan 1st Vice Chair
DES MOINES, IA – Last night, the Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee unanimously elected acting-Chair Sue Dvorsky as Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party.  She has been acting-Chair since June 10, 2010 after Michael Kiernan stepped down due to personal health reasons.  Kiernan was unanimously elected 1st Vice Chair last night, as well.

“I’m honored to be accepting this position,” Dvorsky said. “Michael Kiernan laid a fantastic groundwork for this election season. Along with the staff and our volunteers, I will carry out the charge: re-elect Governor Culver and our Democratic members of Congress, elect Roxanne Conlin, Bill Maske and Matt Campbell, and maintain our majorities in the State House and Senate.”

BACKGROUND
Sue Dvorsky, 55, recently retired from teaching special education in Iowa City for 30 years.  She was instrumental in Tom Vilsack’s historic election in 1998 and has been a tireless advocate for Democrats her entire life. She lives in Coralville with her husband Senator Bob Dvorsky and their daughters Ann and Caroline.

Michael Kiernan, 35, was elected Chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party in February of 2009 and served until resigning in June of 2010. Kiernan ran Governor Chet Culver’s campaign for Secretary of State before serving two successful terms as an At-Large Councilman in Des Moines. He was born and raised in Madison County, Iowa.

AUDIO: The 2010 Iowa GOP state convention

It’s 9:58 a.m. and a man’s voice coming through the sound system is telling delegates to take their seats here in Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines, Iowa. Convention activities are set to commence at 10 a.m.  A battle looms over who the delegates at this convention will pick as the party’s lieutenant governor nominee:  the man who finished second in the June 8th GOP gubernatorial primary or the woman who the GOP’s gubernatorial nominee has picked.  UPDATE:  Kim Reynolds won 55.6 percent of the delegates’ votes, beating Bob Vander Plaats and winning the LG nomination.  (Listen to speeches, read more here.)

What follows is a live blog of the day.

The Branstad campaign has been handing out pink t-shirts, touting the Branstad/Reynolds ticket.  Branstad is Terry Branstad, the former four-term governor who’s seeking a fifth term in 2010.  Reynolds is Kim Reynolds, the state senator who Branstad has picked as a running mate.  If you don’t know, supporters of Bob Vander Plaats – Branstad’s rival for the GOP gubernatorial nomination — intend to nominate BVP for LG. 

It’s 10 a.m. and Matt Strawn, the Iowa GOP chairman, has just gaveled the convention into order.  Folks are being asked to stand for the invocation.  RNC Committeeman Steve Scheffler gave a little speech first, saying the party needs to be united.  

“We pray that your people will rise up and be involved in the political process this year,” he prayed, then seemed to seek some innoculation for the masses that would prevent an all-out war over the lieutenant governor nomination.  “….Lord, today, be with our deliberations and, in spite of some of our minor differences, that we speak words of love and not hate and ugliness.” 

Read more

Overnight developments, GOP state convention preview

If you missed it, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats said he’s mulling an independent bid for governor and would also accept the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor if he’s nominated today by delegates at the Iowa GOP’s state convention in Des Moines.

Terry Branstad, the GOP nominee for governor, was asked by WHO-TV for comment last night.  During the 10 o’clock news, the station played a snippet of the interview with Branstad which included Branstad using the word “crazy” to describe Vander Plaats.  The tape/story has not been posted on the station’s website.  

During his appearance on WHO Radio, Vander Plaats said he had not been invited to today’s state convention but might consider attending if he’s selected by the delegates to be the GOP’s lieutenant governor nominee.

I asked Danielle Plogmann, the Iowa GOP’s communications director, about BVP’s statement.  “All Iowa Republicans are always welcome as guests to our convention, however formal invitations are only extended to duly elected delegates and alternates,” she wrote, via email last night.  “By tradition and practice, only our nominees have speaking roles.”

Vander Plaats: “I’m not leaving…going to stay in the game.”

“I am walking off the field with my head help up high, but I’m not leaving either.  I mean, I am going to stay in the game because I feel I owe it to a lot of people to be their voice, maybe to be their face on a lot of issues.” — Bob Vander Plaats, on June 25, 2010, on WHO Radio.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats is on The Steve Deace Show on WHO Radio this afternoon.  Vander Plaats hasn’t made any comments in public since Primary Night.   UPDATE: Here’s the Radio Iowa roundup of what Vander Plaats said this afternoon.

Read more

King: Republicans need to “come together” and back Branstad

Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron, Iowa) stopped by the Radio Iowa studios this afternoon.  He had a “party unity” message.

King said it’s time for his feuding fellow Republicans to bury the hatchet and unite behind Terry Branstad, the G.O.P. nominee for governor. Some factions within the party are upset with the outcome of the June 8th Primary and have vowed to withhold their vote from Branstad in November, arguing Branstad would not be aggressive enough in seeking to undo the Iowa Supreme Court ruling which legalized gay marriage in 2009.

“It’s up to Republicans to take a look and come together because if we fail to do so, we are handing the governorship to Chet Culver for a second term,” King said.  “It’s that simple.”

King spoke with Radio Iowa before Bob Vander Plaats, the Republican candidate who finished second to Branstad in the 2010 Primary, is set to appear on WHO Radio to make his first public statements since Primary Night. Vander Plaats will appear on the Steve Deace Show from 5 to 6 p.m. this evening. 

King suggested Vander Plaats had “put on the Republican jersey” and had his (King’s) respect for running.  King has not spoken to Vander Plaats personally since the primary. 

“It wasn’t really by design.  It was just by happenstance.  If you don’t get it done the first couple of days, you don’t get back to it and I wish I had.  I owed him that,” King said of that unmade phone call.

King made clear he will work against Vander Plaats if Vander Plaats chooses to run for governor as an independent candidate.

“If there’s any formula that extends Chet Culver another term, an independent race for governorship would be it,” King said. “And if there’s any formula that ensures that judge-made same-sex marriage in Iowa would endure perpectually, an independent campaign for governor would be it…They are handing the battlefield over to the people on the other side.

“…The job of governor is bigger than any single candidate.  No matter how badly you want to be governor, this state takes precedence over anyone’s career aspirations and we should all look to do everything we can, within the limits of the positions that we hold or aspire to hold, and look to the cause first.  I’ve heard that sermon out of every one of the candidates.  I hope they all live by it.”

AUDIO: Branstad picks Kim Reynolds as running mate

UPDATE:  Here is the Radio Iowa story.  You may listen to the entire 20-minute news conference there.  Below is a live blog of the event.

At 8:50 a.m. Terry Branstad’s campaign sent out a text message on the Branstad 2010 Twitter account, letting supporters who signed up for the Twitter alert that State Senator Kim Reynolds is his choice for a lieutenant governor/running mate.  This keeps a string going.

A previous tweet sent a picture, showing the “stage” for today’s announcement. Branstad’s campaign will hold a news conference in a conference room at the Ankeny airport.  The room is utilitarian, with a wood-like lectern at the south end.  A blue and white Branstad sign is taped on the front, anda field of 12 signs have been taped on the wall behindto provide a photo back-drop, partially obscuring the window that is behind.

At exactly 9 a.m., Terry & Chris Branstadwalked into the room, with Reynolds walking behind.

“Since our victory in the June primary, I’ve given a lot of thought and consideration as to who should join me on this journey,” Branstad said, adding there was “no shortage” of qualified Republicans for the post he’s now asking Reynolds to fill.

Branstad called Reynolds a “dynamic and dedicated public servant who shared my core values on the key issues.”  Branstad said Reynolds has “a lot of enthusiasm and a track-record…Iowans will quickly learn important facts about Senator Kim Reynolds.”

Read more

Branstad reveals running mate choice Thursday

Terry Branstad, the 2010 Republican nominee for governor, is scheduled to reveal his choice for a lieutenant governor/running mate on Thursday morning at 9 o’clock in Ankeny, then he’ll be traveling around the state in a plane (weather permitting) to six other cities.  (Read more below.)

As you may know, Iowa’s governor and lieutenant governor began running together, as a team, in 1990.  In the election cycle before that, 1986, Republican Terry Branstad was re-elected to a second term as governor and Iowans elected Democrat Jo Ann Zimmerman as lieutenant governor. Zimmerman was the first woman elected as lieutenant governor of Iowa.  Since then, no man has been elected lieutenant governor and the major party tickets over a 12 year string were a male/female team until 2006, with the Nussle/Vander Plaats ticket.

*1990 Republican ticket: Terry Branstad/Joy Corning

1990 Democratic ticket:  Don Avenson/Jo Ann Zimmerman

*1994 Republican ticket:  Terry Branstad/Joy Corning

1994 Democratic ticket:  Bonnie Campbell/Leonard Boswell

*1998 Democratic ticket: Tom Vilsack/Sally Pedersen

1998 Republican ticket: Jim Lightfoot/Almo Hawkins

*2002 Democratic ticket:  Tom Vilsack/Sally Pedersen

2002 Republican ticket:  Doug Gross/Debi Durham

*2006 Democratic ticket:  Chet Culver/Patty Judge

2006 Republican ticket:  Jim Nussle/Bob Vander Plaats

2010 Democratic ticket:  Chet Culver/Patty Judge

2010 Republican ticket:  Terry Branstad/?

(* — denotes winning ticket)

Here’s the Branstad campaign press release:

(URBANDALE) – The Governor Branstad 2010 Campaign today announced the Thursday, June 24, 2010 schedule for a statewide tour with former Gov. Terry Branstad and his selection for lieutenant governor. The lieutenant governor selection will be announced via our LieuTEXTant Governor Campaign prior to the tour. To sign up, please visit www.GovernorBranstad2010.com.

The following press conferences are open to the media and public:

Thursday, June 24, 2010

9 a.m.                        Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection
                                    Exec 1 Aviation
                                    3700 Convenience Boulevard
                                    Ankeny, IA
                                   
10:15 a.m.               Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection
                                    Advanced Air Inc., Council Bluffs Airport
                                    16801 McCandless Lane
                                    Council Bluffs, IA                          

11:15 a.m.               Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection
                                    Jet Sun Aviation
                                    5815 Mitchell St.
                                    Sioux City, IA

12:30 p.m.               Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection
                                    North Iowa Air Service , 2nd Floor Conference Room
                                    9184  2565th St.
                                    Clear Lake, IA
                                   
2 p.m.                        Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection
                                    Dubuque Jet Center
                                    11000 Airport Road
                                    Dubuque, IA                                   

3 p.m.                        Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection
                                    Carver Aero
                                    9230 North Harrison St.
                                    Davenport, IA
                                   
4 p.m.                        Gov. Branstad announces his lieutenant governor selection       
                                    Landmark Aviation
                                    9430 Shepard Court SW
                                    Cedar Rapids, IA