ChetChase 2010 - The Finish

Iowa's race for governor -- not so close.

So, we have a brand spanking new governor-elect, uh, sort of. Governor-elect Terry Branstad. The last time we could call him by that title, I was in 5th grade. Had a Branstad sticker on my Trapper Keeper. Next to Han Solo.

But it's true, folks. Branstad used his patented combination to tireless campaigning, keen knowledge of the Iowa electorate and impeccable political timing to win an unprecedented fifth term. TB 5.o has returned to reboot the state and "clean up the mess."

But why, you might be asking, was Chet chased down so easily? Iowa hasn't thrown out a governor after a single term in nearly 50 years. The last three guys kept the office for 14, 16 and 8 years. Iowans broke character to throw Culver out.

There were many reasons. Culver's term coincided with a rotten economy. He argued strenuously, and correctly to some extent, that Iowa was better run and better off than most. But that didn't resonate at a time when so many are believing and feeling otherwise. Iowa, the contended, was on the wrong track. Culver was the engineer.

He might have survived economic woes, if he had built up a strong reservoir of public goodwill, as Branstad was so adept at doing with his countless ribbons cut and chamber coffees attended. But Culver didn't play it that way.

His leadership style was more solitary. After disasters both natural and budgetary, he refused to call all-hands-on-deck special sessions to share the burden of response and potential risks. He handled it his way, hoping to reap the rewards. Instead, he absorbed all the blame, and was damaged.

And there were all the missteps, both substantial and trivial. The film office fiasco, the Alcoholic Beverages Division's lavish lifestyle and campaign contributions tied to Culver's casino push that netted criminal charges for the contributors. The elder affairs ombudsman who got muzzled, substantial. His official SUV is involved  in a strange interstate chase, trivial.

Honestly, the race was probably knocked out of reach a year ago, when revenues plunged, the film office scandal broke and Branstad got serious about returning to politics. Culver never really regained his footing.

Culver said last night he was proud of his record, and he does have accomplishments to be sure. He bungled on the special session in 2008, but did eventually drive efforts to provide much-needed financial help to Cedar Rapids in its moment of need. He raised the minimum wage, advanced the cause of stem cell research and pushed to create a preschool program for four year olds that will pay dividends in years to come, if Branstad doesn't succeed in wrecking it. I-JOBS bonding was a political liability, but I  think in years to come, Iowans will appreciate the many infrastructure projects the effort funded.

Now we're back in the Branstad era. He represented political comfort food to a lot of voters, sort of a big warm dependable tenderloin. But this is a guy who has promised to create 200,000 jobs, raise incomes 25 percent and cut the size and scope of government 15 percent. We're not going to forget those promises, no matter how comfortable we get. And as an elder statesmen who has paid his dues and is likely looking at a single term, I hope he displays more political courage on tough issues than he showed during the campaign.

One phrase he'd better lose from his vocabulary is "back when I was governor." Certainly, he can draw on his experiences, that's one reason we elected him. But now, he is the governor, at a time when we're very, very interested in what's next. Nostalgia was fine for the campaign trail. Now we want to hear about the future.

I have confidence Branstad can handle the job, obviously. But he'll have to prove that he has a real, detailed plan beyond the bones and platitudes he tossed us on the campaign trail. We'll have plenty of time to slice and dice that in the weeks and months ahead.

But for now, Branstad deserves congratulations. Culver deserves thanks for doing a tough job at a tough time. And we can breathe a sigh of relief that the chase is finally over.