Hatch gains a running mate, but has he lost an opportunity?

Jack Hatch is stuck in a very long episode of gubernatorial 'Wipeout.”

The Democratic candidate for governor introduced his running mate at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning in Cedar Rapids. Big news. Trouble is, his campaign accidentally scooped itself by posting the news online a few hours earlier. Bam!

These things happen. Surely Hatch and running mate Monica Vernon will command the day's political news cycle. But it turns out Republican Gov. Terry Branstad's team grabbed all the good Hatch-Vernon website URLs. Then they launched parody websites slamming the Hatch-Vernon ticket. Created quite a buzz.

Smack! Bop! Splash!

Hatch pokes fun at 'Smokey and the Branstad” after the governor's 2013 speeding escapades, then gets caught speeding. Also, his campaign's financial war chest would fit in a coffee can.

Wham! Slap! Splash!

It's OK, we use lots of padding at gubernatorial 'Wipeout,” so none of these blows are fatal. But they can leave a mark, or 10. When is Hatch going to catch a break?

Actually, he did catch multiple breaks. Eight weeks ago, Hatch's campaign had wind in its sails. Branstad was the one getting smacked daily with trouble and more trouble: hush money paid to departing state employees, a secret do-not hire list, serious questions about why the governor kept an Iowa Veterans Home commandant even after allegations surfaced about his treatment of employees.

Iowans started considering why it might not be so good to put all the powers of the governor's office into the hands of the same guy for 24 years. After that long, your cronies beget cronies. Polls suggested Branstad's aura of inevitability had been dented.

So how did Hatch and Democrats hammer it home, seize the momentum and capitalize? None of the above. The legislative session ended. Hearings took a hiatus. Maybe it was a lack of strategy, moxie, bucks or all three, but they let the governor off the ropes. He went back to his corner, licked his wounds, and raised a few million dollars more to toss onto his money mountain.

Hatch rejects the notion of an opportunity lost. 'This clearly now is the start of the campaign,” he said. It's true. The race isn't over in June. Hatch-Vernon hasn't even been nominated at convention. Hatch did score a few publicity points when he shaved off his mustache as a metaphorical signal that Iowa needs a fresh start. A good message. He didn't even cut himself, as far as I can tell.

Also, Vernon is a good choice. Her runner-up run for Congress has made her a sharper, more focused and forceful presence on the stump. She's an asset on the trail from day one.

Vernon's campaign was well-financed, and she might do Hatch's shoestring effort some good. She built a business that helped people figure out how to market products. The Hatch campaign is a product in need of better marketing. Vernon used to be a Republican, but so did a lot of other moderate Iowans. They might relate.

Hatch's bigger problem is that too many Democrats are sitting on the sidelines, and on their checkbooks. Apparently they're OK with giving Branstad a pass to term six. Surely Democrats will hold control of the Iowa Senate. And if they don't? Bam! Splash!

l Comments: (319) 398-8452; todd.dorman@thegazette.com