Branstad, Culver take to sky, rails today

Planes, trains and campaign trash talk are keeping Iowa's major party candidates for governor moving today.

On the final day before the election, Democratic Gov. Chet Culver is on a train across Eastern and central Iowa while his chief challenger, former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, is flying around the state to make his closing argument.

Their modes of transportation have prompted some talk about what those travel preferences say about the candidates.

“He's looking backward and we're looking forward,” Branstad said. “They did the train thing back in the 19th century. This is the 21st century and we're focusing on jobs for the future.”

But Culver's train ride is all about the future, countered Donn Stanley, his campaign manager. The state just received notice of a $230 million federal grant to establish a high-speed passenger rail link from Iowa City to Chicago.

“That represents hundreds of jobs for Iowa,” he said.

“The symbolism of the jobs and infrastructure is as strong as being in an airport hangar,” he added, noting that Culver was flying around the state Sunday. “You use different modes of transportation on different days. We feel like (the train ride) is a pretty strong finish. We're very comfortable with the trade-off.”