Branstad remains confident heading into home stretch

BONDURANT - Gov. Terry Branstad urged supporters Thursday to take nothing for granted in next week's general election, while a fellow Republican told the same breakfast crowd he expects Branstad to 'blow out” Democrat Jack Hatch en route to a Nov. 4 victory and an unprecedented sixth term.

Adam Gregg, a GOP candidate looking to unseat longtime Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, told about 60 people at the Brick Street Market that Branstad 'will win in a blowout” in his matchup with a three-term state senator making his first bid for statewide office.

In an interview after the event, Branstad downplayed the prediction but conceded that 2014 'feels as good as I think any of the others have felt” in comparing his position with five days out compared to where he stood in his five previous gubernatorial campaigns.

'I feel really confident. I think it's looking good,” said Branstad, who noted he has never lost an election and he never allows an opponent to outwork him.

'We're not going to let up and we're not taking anything for granted, but I feel really good and I'm very hopeful that we can have a team victory,” added Branstad, who also made stops in Oskaloosa, Centerville and Ottumwa before joining New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for a campaign event in Burlington.

For his part, Hatch worked the state's east side Thursday, with stops in Decorah, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Marshalltown, Toledo and Iowa City on his 'Fresh Start” tour with running mate Monica Vernon.

The GOP campaign stop included statewide Republican team members Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, Gregg, state treasurer candidate Sam Clovis and State Auditor Mary Mosiman. Clovis criticized current Democratic treasurer Michael Fitzgerald for using taxpayer dollars to fund his campaign.

Clovis said Iowans are receiving a mailer that features Fitzgerald and is paid for by College Savings Iowa account holders.

Republican Party of Iowa chairman Jeff Kaufmann later issued a news release condemning the mailer as 'unconscionable” and demanding Fitzgerald, who has held the office since 1982, have his campaign 'pay college savers Iowa taxpayers back for his taxpayer-funded electioneering.”

Fitzgerald spokeswoman Karen Austin refuted the GOP claim that taxpayers' money is involved, and noted than Vanguard recently reduced the price of the program's annual asset-based fees to .26 of 1 percent to cover administrative costs that include marketing because the plan has been so financially successful.

'This is legitimate marketing for the program that is done by College Savings Iowa,” said Austin, who noted the GOP objection was being raised six days before the general election. She said the reason Fitzgerald's likeness is used if because 'he is kind of the seal of approval on the plan - this is a plan that the state treasurer says is a good plan and he stands behind that. That's why he is incorporated into the material. We did not consider changing that. This the ordinary theme that we have used so people know who they are investing with.”

After talking about issues related to public employee pensions, investments and credit during the state treasurer's purview during the Bondurant campaign stop, Clovis told supporters 'we want to max-out our turnout” in Tuesday's balloting.