Culver vs. Nussle Iowa Governor Debate
Update [2006-10-3 18:9:51 by Ross Smith]: Video is now available online.
Update [2006-10-3 0:27:2 by Ross Smith]: I am plunking follow up on blog takes and some of the early press commentary into the comments instead of adding separate threads.
This is a quick take on the debate tonight in what is a close race. MyDD's Governor Forecast has the background:
Democratic Governor Tom Vilsack, who is not running for a third term, has a passable approval rating, but that hasn't abated the anti-incumbent party feeling from hitting Iowa this year as Democratic Secretary of State Chet Culver takes on Republican Congressman Jim Nussle. For a state as closely watched as Iowa, there is a surprising dearth of polling on the gubernatorial race, but the data currently available indicates rather clearly that this race could go either way at this point -- though Culver appears to have some momentum on his side.
Latest polling: Selzer & Co., Culver 44 - Nussle 44, September 17; Research 2000, Culver 48 - Nussle 43, September 13; Rasmussen Reports, Culver 42 - Nussle 40, September 1.
Not being from Iowa and knowing not having followed the politics there, my take is that from a tabula rasa perspective, Culver had the better of it. He did the better debating.
Click "there's more" to see why and to add your comments.
