Tom Vilsack (D- Iowa), Governor is first of many to throw his hat into '08 ring

Ths is the information available on his own web site.

Governor Tom Vilsack was elected Iowa’s 39th Governor in 1998, the first Democratic governor of the state in more than 30 years. He was re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002.
During his campaigns for election and re-election, Governor Vilsack promised to strengthen Iowa’s communities, transform the state’s economy and strive for excellence in education. Through 21st Century innovation, an old fashion work ethic and collective, bipartisan support, those promises have been kept.

Under Governor Vilsack’s leadership, the state has a record number of employed Iowans, has made significant investments in Iowa’s education system, has increased the number of Iowans with health care coverage, and is now a world leader in renewable energy. The governor has achieved these results while eliminating three state departments, reducing the total number of state employees, and providing targeted tax relief to working families without raising overall taxes.

Governor Vilsack will leave office in January of 2007 having changed the landscape of Iowa through his Administration’s success in numerous fields:

Governor Vilsack has worked to create better paying jobs, increase personal wealth,
hold down unemployment and build a quality work force that is ready, willing and able to compete with anyone anywhere.

In 2004, Vilsack created the Iowa Values Fund, a $500 million, 10-year program that is transforming the Iowa economy. In just two years, the fund has invested in businesses that will create or retain over 30,000 jobs, and will leverage more than $7 billion in capital investment in 83 of Iowa’s 99 counties. The average wage of these jobs is more than $37,300 per year, well above the state average. He also launched the Vision Iowa Program which has had a significant positive impact on 188 communities through investments in education, cultural, and recreational attractions. Vision Iowa has utilized over $270 million in state funding to attract $2 billion in total investment, creating 14,000 jobs and attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists to the state.

Governor Vilsack has worked to create lifelong opportunities for learning in Iowa. From expanding access to high-quality preschool; to ensuring adolescents are held to higher standards of achievement he is ensuring the youth of today will be ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

The Governor has also led the effort to reduce class sizes in the early grades of elementary school and increase teacher salaries. As a result, Iowa’s fourth-graders placed among the best in the nation in math and science progress and an eight-year decline in reading test scores was reversed, with improved scores in each of the last three years.

The Vilsack Administration has worked cooperatively with schools, medical providers, businesses, faith-based organizations and other entities to expand health care coverage to more than 90,000 previously uninsured children. Iowa is now a national leader in children’s health care coverage, with 92% of all Iowa children having health insurance.

In addition, they have worked to make long term care more accessible, provided for comprehensive mental health care coverage, and reduced the cost of prescription drugs. As of today, 18,000 previously uninsured adults between the ages of 19–64 will receive health coverage due to policies enacted by the Vilsack Administration.

Governor Vilsack has focused on making Iowa a world leader in the renewable energy industry. During the past eight years, energy generation capacity has increased 20%, with a nearly 300% increase in ethanol production in the past five years. Iowa now leads the nation in producing ethanol and biodiesel, and is third in the nation in wind energy production. Due to the governor’s initiatives, Iowa not only feeds, it also fuels the nation.

While Governor Vilsack has led Iowa’s government from the statehouse in Des Moines, he has also promoted the state on the national level through his leadership in numerous national organizations. Governor Vilsack is the chair of the Democratic Leadership Council and is the former chair of the Democratic Governors’ Association, the Midwest Governor’s Conference, the Governors’ Biotechnology Partnership, Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), and the Ethanol Coalition. The governor is also a member of the National Governors Association Executive Committee.

Prior to being elected governor, Governor Vilsack was an Iowa State Senator (1992-98) and the mayor of Mt. Pleasant, Iowa (1987-92) as well as managing a private law practice with his father-in-law. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, orphaned at birth, and adopted in 1951. He received a bachelor's degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York in 1972, and received a law degree from Albany Law School in 1975. Governor Vilsack is a devoted husband to First Lady Christie Vilsack and a dedicated father to sons Jess and Doug.

Tom Vilsack has built a long list of accomplishments during his eight years as governor of Iowa. He has brought Iowans from all political persuasions and all walks of life together to help change the landscape of Iowa, creating successes that all Iowans can share in. Governor Vilsack has built a solid foundation of progress in Iowa that will ensure countless opportunities for a brighter tomorrow.

A strong Governor is perhaps the best chance for the Dems to take back the White House. This has always been the case. The immediate word on the street is that people do not know who he is. Fair enough, but that was true with Bill Clinton in 1991 when he announce his candidacy against (at that time) a highly popular GHW Bush. It was also true when the current occupant of the office announced his candidacy. I am looking forward to learning more about him.

I hope he has the intestinal fortitude to stand up to two years of being called 'embarrassingly liberal' and out of touch and 'just wrong for America'.

Let the fun begin!!