Republicans make final campaign push

WEST DES MOINES – Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats told a rally of raucous supporters who came to see him and action movie star Chuck Norris Saturday that he senses an upset brewing in Tuesday's GOP primary election.

“Ladies and gentlemen, there's something brewing in the air and there's going to be a surprise on Tuesday,” Vander Plaats told about 300 backers who gathered at the Jordan Park Camp pavilion.

The Sioux City business consultant said having Norris with him at stops in West Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Hinton provided “a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of exposure” for his campaign but he expected his message of lowering taxes, shrinking government and protecting traditional marriage will be his keys to victory when Iowans cast their ballots in three days.

Vander Plaats faces former Gov. Terry Branstad of rural Boone and five-term state Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll in a primary that will decide which Republican faces Gov. Chet Culver, a West Des Moines Democrat, in the November general election.

Branstad and Culver shared the same parade route Saturday participating in My Waterloo Days festivities. Roberts campaigned in Treynor, Logan and Atlantic.

The Vander Plaats' event was sprinkled with Chuck Norris jokes, with Norris joining in my saying “America's not a democracy, it's a Chuck-tatorship,” and Vander Plaats noting that “Chuck Norris doesn't suggest to Iowa how to vote, he tells Iowa how to vote.”

Norris told reporters Vander Plaats most resembles is “Delta Force” movie character. “Bob is a man who says what he means and means what he says,” Norris added, saying that's a quality that's hard to find among politicians today.

“The problem we're having with the political system today is they will not speak the truth,” said Norris, who last campaigned in Iowa for former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee – the winner in the 2008 Iowa Republican presidential caucuses.

“I got very impressed with Iowa when I was here two years ago because what I saw with the people in Iowa is they look into the heart of the candidates and not their pocketbooks,” the Texas actor and martial arts champion said.

Bryan English of Iowa Family Policy Center ACTION, which endorsed Vander Plaats' candidacy, predicted Tuesday's vote would boil down to “passion versus money.”

Final campaign financial forms filed last week indicated Branstad spent $986,548 in the run up to the June 8 balloting, with about $550,000 going for media and advertising buys and about $150,000 for mailings. Vander Plaats spent $237,370 in the campaign's closing days, mostly for advertising, while Roberts spent $32,720. Branstad reported having $448,983 cash on hand, Vander Plaats had $67,719, and Roberts had $18,875 at the end of the latest reporting period.

Donn Stanley, manager for the Culver/Judge campaign, said Culver has more than $3 million in cash on hand heading into the fall campaign.

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