So much for strategy. As he was gearing up to seek the Republican gubernatorial nomination, Terry Branstad told a guy that he would campaign on economic issues and on his love of the state and would stay away from the social issues that divide his party.

It could be said that overcoming adversity is the Vander Plaats family motto. During World War II, Bob Vander Plaats' father, patriarch of the large, northwest Iowa family, survived the nightmare of Iwo Jima.

Roxanne Conlin would mean more to Iowa Democrats than simply the party's best chance of beating Sen.

Posted on Oct 23, 2009 by Todd Dorman . Iowa's governor's race. You can't win if you're not all in.

Terry Branstad would hand Democrats a 16-year record to critique if he becomes the Republicans' nominee for governor next year, fellow GOP candidate Bob Vander Plaats said Wednesday.

This Feb. 22, 2006 file photo shows former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad applauding as Rep.

" An African-American leader announced plans to back GOP candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats, citing a lack of action by Democratic Gov.

By THOMAS BEAUMONT * tbeaumont@dmreg.com * © 2009, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company * October 7, 2009 Former Gov.

Little more than a year before the general election, Iowa's top two races are effectively frozen - one by a potential candidate who hasn't decided whether to run, the other by a promised candidate who hasn't decided whether to be named.

There was no stopping Gov. Chet Culver from heading west through the stormy night last year after a tornado ripped through a Boy Scout camp.

By THOMAS BEAUMONT * tbeaumont@dmreg.com * © 2009, Des Moines Register and Tribune Company * August 2, 2009 Signs are increasing that Terry Branstad - Iowa's longest-serving governor, but one who hasn't been on the ballot for 15 years - is actively considering a run for the office next year.

Survey USA released a new batch of approval ratings for governors based on polls taken June 16.

Challenging an incumbent governor who's led Iowa through a historic natural disaster and who is a prolific campaign fundraiser might seem like a daunting task.

Faulty reporting and sensationalist talking heads dishonor the legacy of the fallen while making it harder for fair legislation to pass.

Reporting from Washington -- President Obama unveiled more than 100 cuts within his proposed new budget this morning, conceding that some would produce "less than a million dollars in savings," but arguing that their sum total -- $17 billion -- is a meaningful slice into federal spending.

Gay marriage's return to the political forefront in Iowa has stoked the conflict among Republicans about whether the party's return to power is more likely through greater emphasis on spending and tax issues or the party's social agenda.

By Jimmy Orr for CSMonitor - Former Iowa Congressman and Bush OMB director Jim Nussle says GOP chair Michael Steele doesn't have what it takes to save the Republican party.

Former Iowa Rep. Jim Nussle, a heavyweight who passed on the race for Republican National Committee chairman, signals to the Des Moines Register that he could emerge as a rival to RNC Chairman Michael Steele: Nussle, the Iowa GOP gubernatorial nominee in 2006, said that the party nationally needed a thorough reorganization and that new Republican ...

The Commerce Department reported yesterday that the "American economy is contracting at its steepest pace in 50 years...but an unanticipated rise in consumer spending since January suggested to many economists that the worst of the recession might have passed ."A Output fell at an 6.1 percent annual rate in the first quarter of this year after ...

Jim Nussle had some strong medicine Wednesday for the Republican Party, as the former Iowa congressman and Bush administration official broke his public silence on politics since leaving the White House.