The Vilsack vacuum: Who will challenge Grassley?

[ccharles000]

By Chase Martyn 12/19/08 3:53 PM
The news that former Gov. Tom Vilsack will serve as President-elect Barack Obama’s Secretary of Agriculture has left political insiders with one fewer interesting hypothetical going into the 2010 campaign cycle. Vilsack was seen as the Democrats’ strongest challenger to Sen. Chuck Grassley, a seemingly unbeatable Republican incumbent.

Though Vilsack’s appointment does not completely preclude a bid for the U.S. Senate, it probably precludes one in 2010. A campaign against Grassley would have to start early — likely within the next six months — and the President-elect probably got an assurance from Vilsack that he would not skip out on his new job so soon.

A lot of Democratic insiders seem to think that Vilsack was their party’s only hope against Grassley in 2010. They might be right, but that is no reason to offer an unconditional surrender.

The U.S. Senate race will be at the very top of the ballot in two years, and Democrats should have learned the lesson of 2004 by now: Running a laughable candidate against Grassley can cost you the “straight ticket” votes you need in other races. If Art Small had lost to Grassley by only 300,000 votes instead of the nearly 600,000 votes he lost by that year, don’t you think Sen. John Kerry could have gotten the paltry 10,000 votes he needed to win statewide?

Gov. Chet Culver could face a tough race for reelection in 2010. He could do without the added weight of another landslide victory for Grassley holding him down.

So let’s take a look at the Democratic bench.

Most of the big name Democrats in Iowa politics are likely to sit this race out, unwilling to launch a losing battle against such a behemoth. But there are a few possible candidates who would see little political downside to running a respectable-but-unsuccessful campaign to unseat Iowa’s senior senator. (As far as I know, none of the individuals listed below has expressed an interest in running, but each could conceivably lose to Grassley by less than 10 percentage points.)

http://iowaindependent.com/9895/the-vilsack-vacuum-who-will-challenge-grassley%7C

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. Hey Iowans, you can have him back!

Really, we won't mind. Don't know how you could stand him in the first place, but if you really want him, plase take him! We can always find someone who's not a shill for one of the worst corporations on the planet to run the Department of Agriculture :)

[Muttocracy]

2. Agree - and Iowa has too much power over Ag policy between Harkin and Vilsack.

[Inspired]

4. Since Iowa is an agriculture state, what's the problem with that?

Just curious.

[Muttocracy]

6. I'd like to have more diversity in the ag leadership in the government

I'd like to have someone who would advocate for small farms, sustainable ag, organic ag, pastured animals, crops other than the big ones that dominate the Farm Bill (corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice, etc.)

Not to say someone from Iowa couldn't advocate for those things, but my impression so far is that these two guys are pro-big-agriculture. I could be wrong. I like power spread to people from many states, and I'd like Congress to be a check on USDA and vice versa.

[Inspired]

3. Who says Vilsack won't run?

The Sec. of Agriculture might just be a temporary thing for him. It keeps his name in the public eye and it isn't all that unusual for a cabinet member to step down mid-term.

[acmavm]

5. I'm more interested in who the hell will challenge Monsanto.

[mmonk]

7. Vilsack challenges Republicans?