Wolf pups, Sarah Palin, Glen Oaks, a photo screw-up
Chet Culver goes into the general election with $3,185,572.09 on hand. But as of Friday not a penny of it has come from his predecessor, Tom Vilsack, or Vilsack’s wife, Christie, or Vilsack’s lieutenant governor for eight years, Sally Pederson. Pederson’s husband, Jim Autry, wrote a $100 check to Culver last summer. Mike Bluoin, who faced Culver in the primary last go-round, hasn’t given a cent to the governor this time — or to any other state-wide candidate. And Congressmen Bruce Braley and Leonard Boswell and Dave Loebsack haven’t given anything to the Culver-Judge campaign, either. For that matter, neither have Chet or Mari Culver or Patty or John Judge.
Read into that what you will.
After spending heavily to win the Republican primary, Terry Branstad has just $448,982.58 on hand for his general-election battle with Culver, according to new reports filed on Friday. (Skinny went to press a few hours before Tuesday’s primary results were in. But if Branstad didn’t win, pollster Ann Selzer and a whole lot of people will be looking for new jobs along with the former and possibly future governor.) Among his contributors is Joy Corning, his former lieutenant governor who always seemed more like a Democrat; she gave $1,000. And Bob Ray opened his wallet — some say it squeaks when it opens — and came up with $100 for his successor at year-end. Corning, who would seem to be at odds with Republican Attorney General candidate Brenna Findley, gave $500 to the ultra-conservative Findley.
Findley, meantime, continues to work hard at raising money. The latest reporting period covered just 16 days, but she pulled in another $11,483, spent $8,146, and ended the period with $109,864.33 under the mattress. She had close to 200 contributors. Incumbent Tom Miller continues to amble along, seemingly unconcerned about Findley. Miller spent nothing in the period and raised $5,750 from 18 contributors; nearly half, $2,500, came from Des Moines lawyer Bob Baudino. Miller has $110,950.61 in the bank.
Back to Culver and Branstad. Culver raised $61,739 in the 16-day period, $10,000 of which came from a Planned Parenthood political-action committee, and $5,000 of which came from Board of Regents President Dave Miles, who along with his wife was already in for $12,500. Culver listed no money from fund-raisers, indicating that that decision to go to Boston to raise money instead of going to Ed Campbell’s funeral was unproductive as well as unwise. Still, maybe the checks are in the mail.
Branstad raised $232,212.87 in the 16 days, mostly two-or-three-digit checks from nearly 2,000 contributors. (Culver had around 100 donors.) But in the middle of that stack was a $23,500 check from Bill Krause, of Kum and Go. (His son Kyle gave Branstad $25,000 earlier — and another $25,000 to Culver.) Another $25,000 came from John Smith of Cedar Rapids. And, as proof that Branstad meets the conservatives’ litmus tests — or that there’s no hope for Bob Vander Plaats — Dave and Jean Stanley of Muscatine kicked in $10,000. There was nothing there from Art Neu, another former lieutenant governor, though the moderate-to-liberal Neu did write several checks, adding up to more than $500, to conservative fellow Carroll resident Rod Roberts.
It seems like just three or four paragraphs ago that Skinny said Joy Corning “always seemed more like a Democrat,” and perhaps that’s why The Des Moines Register on May 30 ran a large picture of Sally Pederson under the impression they were running Corning’s photo. But you have to cut the newspaper a little slack. Both Pederson and Corning are women. They look nothing alike, of course, but apparently if you’ve seen one female former lieutenant governor, you’ve seen ’em all.
Finally, Democrats are gleeful that Sarah Palin has endorsed Terry Branstad. It won’t help him in the general election, they say — he already has the conservative Republicans — but it might send some moderate independents into the Culver camp, they say. We’ll see.
A reader sends along this note:
“Expect a new plank to be added soon to the GOP platform. This exchange between a Republican House member and constituent was overheard at a recent forum:
Constituent: I don’t like you.
House Member: I’m not sure that I’ve ever met you, would you care to tell me what I did that you don’t like.
Constituent: You sponsored a bill with PETA.
House Member: No I didn’t.
Constituent: Yes you did.
House Member: I know that I didn’t because PETA isn’t a member of the House and therefore they cannot sponsor bills.
Is there a particular bill you are referring to?
Constituent: You voted for a bill to ban breeding dogs with wolves and PETA supported it.
House Member: What was your concern with the bill?
Constituent: Now I can’t buy wolf pups anymore.”
Some nonpolitical stuff, thank heavens:
Skinny hears that Dan Johnston is moving back to town after decades in New York. Johnston was Polk County Attorney before most Cityview readers were born. Skinny also hears that Mary Lawyer is moving back to Des Moines from Dubuque and probably will go to work at Jeff Link’s company. But Gil Cranberg, alas, is leaving town. ...
And hears that sale of Glen Oaks country club is nearing. West Bank, which took it over after some bad loans, apparently has a buyer. ...
And hears that Principal is not unhappy that the Embassy Club is leaving the top floor of Principal’s 801 Grand Avenue, leaving downtown with just The Des Moines Club. Once, in a different era, the Des Moines Cub had a building to itself — the current site of The Suites at 800 Locust — and those who couldn’t pass muster there had the Embassy and the Bohemian clubs as back-ups.
And finally — well, back to politics — an old-timer suggests that the Branstad camp adopt as its motto the tag-line, “Good night, Chet.”
If you don’t get it, ask your grandfather. CV
