Des Moines Register
02/02/06
Iowa can determine control of U.S. House,
Daschle says
By THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Ames, Ia. — Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle said in Iowa on
Wednesday that the state's voters could determine control of the U.S. House this
year.
Pointing to targeted congressional races in central and eastern Iowa, the South
Dakota Democrat urged the roughly 200 students and party activists who
attended his lecture at Iowa State University to vote in what he said would be a
watershed year for Democrats.
"Control of the House of may actually be decided here in the state of Iowa," said
Daschle, who left office last year. "The entire nation will be watching, and your
involvement could make the difference."
Iowa's 1st District — spanning Waterloo, Dubuque and Davenport — is viewed
as a top Democrat target, with Republican Rep. Jim Nussle not seeking reelection.
Iowa's 3rd District, which includes Polk County, is considered a top Republican
target with Democrat Leonard Boswell, a five-term incumbent, facing a challenge
from Jeff Lamberti.
Daschle also weighed in on the Iowa governor's race by endorsing Democrat
Chet Culver.
Daschle's backing isn't expected to translate into votes in the June primary, but
could be an added boost for Culver's fundraising, tops in his party's field last
year.
"I'm not here to tell any one Iowan how to vote. I wouldn't do that," Daschle said
during a visit to Culver's campaign headquarters.
The news comes on the heels of reported fundraising for last year, which showed
Culver having raised $1.1 million, the most in the crowded Democratic field.
But the candidates also are competing for noteworthy supporters, a category in
which Democrat Mike Blouin has tried to establish an advantage. The state's
former economic development director has lined up a majority of Democratic
state legislators.
Dianne Bystrom, a political science professor at Iowa State University, said
Daschle's support is a signal to party leaders, more than a meaningful measure
to rank-and-file voters.
"Culver is probably trying to get party leaders to endorse him, in terms of support
and money. That's where an endorsement by Daschle can make a difference
now," said Bystrom, director of ISU's Carrie Chapman Catt Center for
Women in Politics.
As a contributing factor to his endorsement, Daschle cited Culver's plan for a
$100 million state program to spur renewable fuel production and technology.
"The only sure-fire way with which we can ensure that this country does become
energy-independent is to do what Chet has been advocating now for a long
period of time," Daschle said.
Since leaving the Senate, Daschle has been a visiting professor at Georgetown
University in Washington, D.C., and worked with a Democratic-leaning think tank,
the Center for American Progress, and in a Washington law firm.
But Daschle dismissed the idea that his second visit to Iowa in three months
meant he was weighing a 2008 presidential bid. "It's great to be back, but there is
no presidential linkage here," he said.