Culver wraps up “thank you, Iowa” tour (AUDIO)

Governor Chet Culver arrived at Baby Boomers restaurant in Des Moines’ East Village at about 5:20 p.m. this evening.  He drove himself there — in a new-to-him (used) pickup he bought earlier today. 

…“I got a Ford F150, used,” Culver said.  “Nice big old truck. Four door.”

Culver bought the truck in Lone Tree and drove the pickup back to Des Moines late this afternoon. A reporter asked Culver if he had driven above 65 miles an hour.

“No sir. Not that I recall. Actually the speed limit was 70 much of the way, so I kept it where it needed to be and I buckled up, too,” Culver said.

The reporter followed up:  “Nervous?  Or just law-abiding?”

Culver responded: “I had a blast. I had the radio cranked up — all by myself.”

Culver made stops in eight Iowa cities over the past two days on a “thank you, Iowa” tour.  His wife and children joined him at the last stop in Des Moines.  Mari Culver, who introduced her husband, explained to the crowd why she was wearing a slint on two fingers of her left hand (her ring finger and pinkie).

“Before I read about it in the paper, I need to do show and tell.  So everyone, I’ll just say it once:  Mary with dog; sees deer; tries to pull back 100 pound dog; not successful.  So, the finger was the casualty.”

Listen to Mari Culver’s brief remarks, followed by her husband’s 13 minute speech: CulverGoodbye