Iowa Democratic Governor Chet Culver's facebook page announced that he's gotten the Register's endorsement for re-election. I'm trying to hold out until the Register actually posts their piece, scheduled for the Sunday paper, but I don't know if I'll last that long.
This endorsement was not a given. The Register doesn't like Culver. But then, they didn't like former governor Terry Branstad who is trying to make a come-back.
Endorsements are what they are, but this is good news for Culver, who was nearly written off before turning in solid performances in 3 debates. Strong early voting by democrats and endorsements from labor to the NRA have kept campaign spirits high, even when the result seemed bleak. Branstad is a hard conservative, and did get Empress Sarah's endorsement, but he's not a tea-bagger, and his support from the far right of his party has been weak. They are far too busy with spreading the American Future Fund's money about the state and nation.
The Register has already endorsed all 5 Democratic congressional candidates, beginning with incumbents Leonard Boswell, Dave Loebsack, Bruce Braley. They also endorsed Matt Campbell against Steve King, Bill Maske against Tom Latham. King is well-known here for his increasingly outrageous winger behavior, but Latham, while more reasonable-appearing in demeanor, has a virtually identical voting record to King. I don't expect Campbell or Maske to unseat the evil duo, but it's nice to see them finally called out by the state's leading paper. Boswell seems to have recovered after an early scare from his opponent. Loebsack is in pretty good shape. AFF has been dumping money into Braley's district, to the degree that they may end up outspending BOTH of the candidates.
The Register's only remaining endorsement, also expected for today's paper, is in the US Senate race. I think they'll endorse Roxanne Conlin over incumbent Chuck Grassley, but I would not be surprised if they go with Grassley while chastising him for his recent record.
Alright, I'm going to bed. Sorry for not sticking around. Hopefully, someone can update when the paper comes out.