New Culver campaign ad highlights 10 percent budget cut

Gov. Chet Culver's re-election campaign announced today it was launching a television ad highlighting his decision last week to order a 10 percent across-the-board cut to the state budget, which includes a cut to his own salary.

In the ad, entitled “Balanced Budget,” Culver said it is his responsibility to make tough budget decisions instead of “passing the buck” to the Legislature or raising taxes.

“I chose tough medicine today to build a stronger Iowa for tomorrow,” Culver says in the ad.

Culver has come under fire from critics and those challenging him in next year's governor's race for not reducing state spending enough as the economic downturn hit.

They say Culver should have made more targeted cuts as the budget blueprint for the current fiscal year was written, rather than waiting and being forced to order an across-the-board cut that affected a wide swath of state government.