Poll shows Branstad leads Culver by 16 points

First-term Democratic Gov. Chet Culver is trailing badly in a match-up with one of his Republican predecessors and also running behind a lesser-known GOP challenger, according to a Rasmussen Poll published Feb. 22.

Former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad leads Culver 53 percent to 37 percent among likely Iowa voters. Branstad, when first elected, was the youngest governor in Iowa history and subsequently served from 1983 to 1999, longer than anyone else in the state's history.

In a match-up with another Republican, Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, Culver trails by just four points, 46 percent to 40 percent. Vander Plaats ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2006 when Culver was elected.

Results for both potential match-ups are little changed since September when Branstad led Culver 54 percent to 34 percent. At that time, Vander Plaats led Culver 43 percent to 39 percent.

Culver campaign manager Abby Curran said the governor is not following the Rasmussen poll or other polls.

“Gov. Culver is doing what Iowans elected him to do, which is moving Iowa forward with bold ideas and building a strong economic future for all Iowans,” she said. “Gov. Culver is not paying attention to who's up or who's down in the polls.”

In Iowa, 41 percent of voters approve of the way Culver has handled his job while 57 percent disapprove, according to the poll.

On a personal basis, 14 percent of voters have a Very Favorable opinion of Culver, and 34 percent hold a Very Unfavorable view.

The numbers for Branstad are 27 percent Very Favorable and 18 percent Very Unfavorable. Vander Plaats gets Very Favorable reviews from 14 percent and Very Unfavorable reviews from 19 percent.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.