Des Moines Register
10-01-06
Management styles show contrasts in candidates
Democrat Chet Culver calls on advisers, while Republican Jim Nussle seeks little
input.
By THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
If the counsel a candidate keeps is any indication of how he will govern,
Democrat Chet Culver and Republican Jim Nussle would have very different
administrations.
A glimpse into the workings of their campaigns for governor reveals that Culver,
Iowa's secretary of state, consults a wide variety of personal and political
advisers and accepts coaching from those more seasoned than himself.
Nussle, an eight-term U.S. House member, on the other hand, seeks little input
from key Iowa GOP operatives and is surrounded by a much smaller circle with
its roots in his early campaigns for Congress.
Running mates
Their running mates are both present on the campaign trail. Democrat Patty
Judge, with two terms as secretary of agriculture and Iowa Senate experience
under her belt, says she is at Culver's side for most campaign strategy sessions.
The Nussle campaign declined to allow Bob Vander Plaats to answer the Des
Moines Sunday Register's questions about his role.
If their campaign styles foretell the way they would govern, Culver's approach
would be collaborative, while Nussle's would be more autonomous. Both
philosophies are common in executive leadership, and both have benefits and
liabilities.
"When you've got a more open style like Culver, the good thing is you get lots of
advice," said Iowa State University political science professor Dianne
Bystrom. "But it's harder to manage, where Nussle's is more controlled and
perhaps less prone to missteps, but might alienate some voices."
The campaigns enlist the regular help of the candidates' wives, who are
seasoned professionals and politically astute. Nussle's campaign also declined to
allow an interview with Karen Nussle, while Mari Culver said she considers
herself a vital sounding board.
Key players in Culver's campaign are Gov. Tom Vilsack and Des Moines lawyer
Jerry Crawford, who is one of Vilsack's closest advisers. The two-term governor
has met regularly in person with Culver and Judge and counseled them by
telephone since the June primary.
Little contact
On the other hand, Nussle consults former Gov. Terry Branstad infrequently and
has little contact with the longtime GOP governor's former aides, who rank
among the state party's top operatives. Branstad's predecessor Robert Ray, also
a Republican, said Nussle has never discussed the race with him.
Nussle's oldest working relationship is with Steve Greiner, who spearheaded
Nussle's first campaign for U.S. House and is now Nussle's top consultant.
Greiner was a key aide to former U.S. Rep. Tom Tauke, Nussle's political mentor
and the congressman he succeeded in 1990.
Some top Republicans have marveled privately at how few people Nussle
consults on key decisions.
Campaign officials said Nussle stays in touch with Tauke, now living in the
Washington, D.C., area. Tauke, an executive vice president for Verizon
Communications, did not respond to several interview requests by the Register.
Nick Ryan, manager of Nussle's campaign for governor, said the kitchen cabinet
is small, which helps keep the campaign on message.
"Part of it is that Jim has done this for so long. He's been doing this for 16 years,
and a number of these people that are involved have been here a long time,"
said Ryan, who has worked for Nussle since 1999.
Nussle's wife
Karen Nussle, who teaches communications at Dubuque University, is a former
lobbyist and staffer to former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. She is a
popular surrogate for Nussle at political events, although some observers say
she is more influential in the day-to-day workings of the campaign than campaign
officials suggest.
Vander Plaats, a Sioux City business consultant, was himself a candidate for
governor until February, when he quit to run with Nussle.
Vander Plaats gave the eastern Iowa congressman a running mate from GOPheavy western Iowa. Ryan described Vander Plaats' role as an adviser and
stand-in for Nussle, not a member of the campaign's inner circle.
Key members
Besides Greiner and Ryan, other key members of the team are Nussle's media
consultant, Larry McCarthy, who has been with him since 1990. Greiner and
McCarthy have gone on from their early days with Nussle to become top
Washington, D.C.,-based consultants.
"The longevity of key staffers and key people and the consistency that that brings
makes us a little different than other campaigns," Ryan said.
There are newcomers, including Nussle's pollster, Jan van Lohuizen, a member
of President Bush's re-election campaign team in 2004. And Nussle regularly
asks some top supporters for their assessment of the race, including his top
fundraiser, Gary Kirke of West Des Moines.
"I think that Jim plays a lot of his cards very close to his vest," said Kirke, a West
Des Moines investor. "It doesn't bother me any."
However, Kirke said he and other key backers were caught off-guard when
Nussle named Vander Plaats his running mate in February. Kirke said the act
also demonstrated political savvy and a "take-charge" attitude.
Culver's advisers
Culver's most trusted advisers have come into his life in a variety of ways. His
two campaigns for elective office - both successful runs for secretary of state provide some advisers. Others have family ties or links with the Vilsack
administration.
Some key confidants, such as former Iowa Attorney General Bonnie Campbell,
trace their relationship with Culver through his father, former Sen. John Culver.
The same is true for Des Moines lawyer Brent Appel, a Culver adviser who ran
Sen. Culver's 1980 campaign.
Although some Democratic insiders say Culver's father is a senior campaign
adviser to his son, the former senator says his presence in the campaign is at
arm's length.
Father and son speak weekly, sometimes more often, about the campaign "so I
know what's going on," the former senator said.
Top paid advisers
"But I certainly don't think of myself as an adviser or strategist or even involved
on a regular basis," he added.
Culver's top paid advisers include Karl Struble, Jef Pollock and Joe Hansen, toptier national consultants, like Nussle's. His inner circle also includes Iowa City
lawyer Jim Larew and United Auto Workers organizer Marilyn Monroe of
Urbandale.
Mari Culver, a respected Des Moines lawyer specializing in litigation, said her
legal training and longtime interest in politics make her a valued member of the
campaign team. "Certainly, I'm his closest confidant," she said.
Culver may have reached out to a larger circle of advisers out of necessity. He
survived a bruising three-way primary in which most state legislators and labor
unions backed one of his opponents, Michael Blouin. Culver spent weeks after
the primary meeting with labor officials, for instance, demonstrating what
Campbell described as a willingness to see all sides.
Trouble with details
At times, Culver's campaign has had trouble with details of its policy statements
and has had to revise them after campaign surrogates released them in error.
Last week, Judge and campaign aides said Culver supported private school
vouchers, only to take it back later in the day.
At other times, Culver has acted despite advice from his top advisers. A case in
point is Culver's statement last year supporting reinstatement of the death
penalty.
"I gave him my best argument, passionately - and I think I'm a pretty good
advocate," said Campbell, who opposes the death penalty. "He just doesn't
necessarily share that opinion. That's life."