This is the second in a series highlighting the first primary of the Iowa political season, as candidate Branstad enters a desperate race against time to outrun the real-life record of Governor Branstad.

Terry Branstad is promising Iowans more of the same disastrous fiscal mismanagement that characterized his time as Governor, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Mike Kiernan said Wednesday.

“There’s just no fiscal common sense coming from him,” Kiernan said. “But that shouldn’t be a surprise to Iowans, because we’re familiar with Branstad’s deficit spending and two sets of books.” In 1992 Branstad ran up a $430 million state budget deficit, as compared with Gov. Culver’s three balanced budgets in a row.

To hide the growing deficit from Iowans, Branstad kept two sets of books for the state and to fill the budget deficit, raised taxes on everyday Iowans. Republican Auditor Richard Johnson criticized Branstad for the practice in 1994, saying a “rational basis” had not been used for keeping the state’s finances. Johnson is now the chairman of Bob Vander Plaats’ campaign for Governor.

By contrast, Culver’s decisive, hands-on approach has kept the state’s budget balanced despite the biggest natural disaster in the state’s history and a worldwide economic recession, Kiernan said.

Branstad’s distaste for hands-on management of the state budget is well-documented. As Branstad was leaving office in 1998, he gave a series of interviews outlining likes and dislikes about the job. His number one dislike? Budget meetings:

Republican Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa said he won’t miss long, painfully long, meetings deciding what to include, and leave out, of your new proposed state budget. “What I hate the most is when you’re cooped up in the Capitol for that month, or month and a half, putting programs and budget together,’ said Branstad.”
[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/9/98]

“Governor Culver’s strong leadership kept the budget in balance and avoided the kind of crisis states like California and New York have experienced,” Kiernan said. “Branstad’s budget-averse attitude really makes him a risky choice for Iowans.”

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