Christie Vilsack may challenge King (R-Ia)

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

By Robynn Tysver

Republican Steve King, the firebrand congressman from western Iowa who grabs national attention, appears to have a fight on his hands in 2012.

Democrat Christie Vilsack, the wife of U.S. Agriculture Secretary and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, announced the formation Wednesday of an exploratory committee — a first step toward a campaign against King .

If she runs, the Vilsacks are expected to move to Ames, Iowa, establishing residency in Iowa’s new 4th Congressional District.

Vilsack said on a website that she planned to tour the district over the next couple of weeks, talking to people before she made a final decision.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20110420/NEWS01/704209823#christie-vilsack-may-challenge-king

[PassingFair]

1. The Duchess of Iowa.

Ho Hum

[Renew Deal]

3. Steve King supporter?

:shrug:

[PassingFair]

4. Iowa deserves better than to be Vilsacked, and so does the rest of the country.

The Duke and Duchess are wholly-owned subsidiaries
of the DLC/New Dem/Corporate raiders.

I was always in favor of Iowa having the
first primary/caucus, but always disliked
the Vilsacks' being in charge.

[Renew Deal]

5. Is this to the point of electing Steve King?

Do you hate the Vilsacks that much?

BTW, I think Tom Vilsack was probably Obama's worst cabinet choice. He is clearly in the bag for bad agriculture.

[PassingFair]

6. Those two have been "clearly in the bag" for years.

If there's a snowball's chance in hell of
electing a Dem, I would hope it would be
someone else.

[karynnj]

18. Even if your comment is true, that still makes her many times better than King

Caveat - I know nothing about Cindy Vilsack other than seeing one video of her with Senator Kerry in 2004 from the general election, I think. She was a decent surrogate.

[Renew Deal]

2. Dems are looking to take advantage of redistricting

Though King will still be the favorite.

"Still, it is a heavily Republican district, though not as GOP-dominated as King’s old one.

Republicans will have an 8-percentage-point lead in voter registration in the new 4th district. By comparison, Republicans held a 14-percentage-point lead in King’s old one."

[rurallib]

7. I believe the Vilsack's have purchased a home in Ames

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42677850/ns/local_news-des_moines_ia/

Well, while some people may not like it, Christie is not Tom. I believe she is much more liberal.
Dems need a name with big recognition to put King out to pasture. Plus it won't be cheap. Vilsack solves both those questions.
I plan on making a few calls for her.

[jwirr]

8. For those of you who hate Vilasks: I lived in NW Iowa for 25 years of my life

and you are not going to find many in that area who are not into chem farming including the Ames community. That area is mainly big corporate farms with towns that are dependent on them. In the 50s my grandfather had to run as rethug for sheriff if he even wanted on the ticket. In the 60s and 70s that area did not even have Democrat caucuses because we couldn't win anyhow. If we wanted anything to say about our local politics at all we had to register rethug. All the local candidates were decided in the primaries. This is the kind of district you are dealing with here.

That there is a Democratic candidate in this area at all is a miracle. Christie may not fit our values but she is the only kind of Democrat that can win in that kind of district. Everyone is always angry at the blue dogs. Well they all come from this kind of areas. It is a either or situation and King is the or.

When she begins working on her exploratory efforts she can count me in. I cannot vote for her but I can do other things. I hate the fact that the area I grew up in - where my ancestors have lived for generations is represented by King.

[PassingFair]

9. "but she is the only kind of Democrat that can win"

Love those kinds of choices.

:puke:

They are self-fulfilling, too!

[jwirr]

10. Nothing self-filling about it - facts there are more rethugs in that

area than Democrats and even the Democrats are conservative. Facts. Edited to tell you to look at their history - they only voted for FDR in his last term. They have not changed.

[PassingFair]

11. I'd rather have a Lincoln Chaffee than a Tom Vilsack.

Any. Day.

[jwirr]

12. Well King is no Lincoln Chaffee. And yes Democrats worked to

get the Lincolns instead of the Kings but it seems that did not work lately.

[PassingFair]

13. Never give up.

Of course, I'll choose the lesser of two evils
if I'm FORCED to...but their feet need to be
put to the fire, and they should be forced to go on record
regarding their positions and actions.

Primary!

[jwirr]

14. I am not disagreeing with you just saying that she is as good as it

is going to get in that area.

[PassingFair]

15. I get it.

But I can't be expected to get excited about it.

After all, she'll wind up in DC, fucking things
up for ALL of us.

[progressoid]

16. Sad but true.

I'm afraid the days of Berkley Bedell are gone.

[PassingFair]

17. You've still got Tom Harkin, don't you?

And when I visited Des Moines this summer,
the record in your Capitol Building clearly
showed a Democratic STREAK occurs in Iowa
some times!

[progressoid]

19. Yeah, but

Grassley gets higher approval numbers than Tom. It's just f&*@ing depressing.

[PassingFair]

20. Come here, you....

:hug:

Noogie!

All we can do is keep pointing out
that the Emperor has no clothes ...
to a bunch of yokels who think a
naked Emperor is a fashion statement...

:hug:

[progressoid]

21. They certainly are yokels.

My parents (life-long Democrats) live in the heart of it. The county to the south of them is 93% repub. I don't know how they do it.