Posted on June 21, 2010 by Tim Albrecht in News Clips, On the Blogs, Press Room
The Iowa Republican – Who Will Branstad's Lieutenant Governor Be?
Former Governor Terry Branstad is expected to announce his selection before the Republican state convention this coming Saturday. With his selection imminent, the potential list of candidates has been whittled down to just five or six names, with probably only three of them being seriously considered.
Yesterday, Tom Beaumont of the Des Moines Register published a list of potential candidates in the mix to be Terry Branstad’s running mate. The list included Jeff Lamberti, Christian Fong, Kim Reynolds, Matt Strawn, and Jim Gibbons.
Beaumont’s article focused mostly on two individuals – Jeff Lamberti, a former congressional candidates and State Senator, and Jim Gibbon, the former Iowa State wrestling coach and unsuccessful 3rd District congressional candidate. Beaumont indicated that Gibbons’ name was a new addition to Branstad’s list, but both he and Lamberti were the featured candidates in TheIowaRepublican.com’s article on the subject over a week ago.
Many have speculated that Branstad would select a running mate from eastern Iowa, but all signs seem to point to him selecting a running mate who is well known in central Iowa. Bob Vander Plaats beat Branstad in the 3rd District by almost a 3000-vote margin. In fact, Branstad easily could have been swept in every county in the 3rd District.
Branstad’s difficulty in central Iowa during the primary has likely altered his lieutenant governor search to those people who can help him shore up his weakness there. That is why TheIowaRepublican.com focused in on Lamberti and Gibbons in our initial article from right after the primary.
The position of Branstad’s running mate might be the most coveted seat in all of Iowa politics right now. Not only is Branstad the current frontrunner in the gubernatorial race, but his prospective lieutenant governor will be well positioned to run for governor or the United States Senate when those seats become available in the next ten years.
