Tom Vilsack 2008 presidential campaign
Tom Vilsack President 2008 | |
---|---|
Governor of Iowa (1999–2007) | |
Affiliation | Democratic Party |
Status | Withdrawn |
Headquarters | Des Moines, Iowa |
Key people | Craig Varoga (Campaign Manager) Shari Yost-Gold (National Finance Advisor) |
Receipts | US$1.165 million (2006-12-31) |
The 2008 presidential campaign of
His short-lived campaign was focused on his home state of Iowa but suffered low standing in national polls and a lack of name recognition. During the campaign, he emphasized the War in Iraq and his plan for ending it.
His run concluded on February 23, 2007, before any debates or primaries, due to funding shortfalls. He endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton after his exit, but shifted to Barack Obama after her withdrawal.
Early stages
Near the end of his eight years as Governor of Iowa, Vilsack, as head of the
On November 9, 2006, Vilsack filed with the FEC and announced that he had been "put[ting] together the building blocks needed to run a successful national presidential campaign." He made his formal announcement on November 30.[1]
Campaign developments
Vilsack made his announcement in
In December, Vilsack embarked on a campaign tour beginning in his hometown of
In mid-December 2006 Vilsack was interviewed by two major magazines. In U.S. News & World Report, he explained why he decided against forming an exploratory committee like many of his Democratic rivals, on the principle that he had "to get to work." He linked the issue of energy security to global warming and national security. He advocated moving American troops from southern and central Iraq to the north, and further commented that political reconciliation must be refocused on "building local governance" rather than spending "all the time on the national government."[4] In an interview with Rolling Stone, he made a distinction between "experience and judgment" and emphasized the importance of the latter. Vilsack attacked Republican candidate John McCain's planned Iraq troop surge as "making a big mistake bigger", and denied that the military had the resources to execute it. In discounting the importance of name recognition, he said "people don’t have to remember my name, they only have to remember the first letter which is V. It stands for vision, it stands for victory, it stands for Vilsack." He also expressed his satisfaction with frontrunner Hillary Clinton, calling himself "a big fan."[5]
In January, Vilsack toured New Hampshire, site of the first primary. There he met with middle school students, with whom he discussed his plans for rebuilding Iraq. Dismissing his Democratic opponents' calls for caps on American troops in the nation, Vilsack advocated a troop withdrawal. He also talked about Iraq with employees of the Granite State Independent Living Group, blaming the costs of rebuilding for the lack of public funds available for domestic projects.[6] In Iowa later in the month, Vilsack reiterated his opposition to troop caps, likening them to "staying the course". He stated that troop capping "reflects the continuation of a failed policy" and that America "ought to be...aggressively redeploying troops out of Iraq."[7]
On February 15, before an appearance on
Vilsack officially withdrew from the race on February 23, stating that the crowded field of Democratic candidates made it impossible for him to raise enough money to continue his campaign. In explaining his withdrawal, he stated that he "came up against something for the first time in [his] life that hard work and effort couldn’t overcome." Bemoaning an electoral process that he saw as dominated by fundraising, he left the race proclaiming "it is money and only money that is the reason we are leaving today." Vilsack raised $1.1 million during his run and left the race with $396,000 on hand.[10]
Polling
In the race for the Democratic nomination,
A
Aftermath
After withdrawing from the race, Vilsack endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton for the presidency on March 25, 2007. He hoped to build momentum for her in Iowa. The former Governor identified Clinton as the candidate with "the best ideas, the most energy, and the values and vision to lead our country." Shortly after the endorsement, Clinton named Vilsack's wife Christie as the co-chairman of her campaign in Iowa.[14] The Clinton campaign announced they would help Vilsack pay off his campaign's $400,000 debt.[15] Vilsack campaigned for Clinton nationwide as national campaign co-chairman, and focused on helping her win the Iowa caucuses. Despite his efforts, Clinton finished third in the caucuses behind Barack Obama and John Edwards[16] Following Clinton's withdrawal, Vilsack endorsed Obama for the presidency on July 15, 2008. He labeled Obama as the "only candidate" for voters "against partisanship" to change "the tone in Washington"[17]
Vilsack was later nominated by President Obama to serve as the
References
- ^ Glover, Mike (2006-11-08). "Iowa's Vilsack to Run for President". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-07-22. [dead link]
- ^ Glover, Mike (2006-11-30). "Vilsack Enters 2008 White House Race". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-22.[dead link]
- ^ Santanam, Ramesh (2006-12-02). "Vilsack's 5-State Tour Kicks Off '08 Run". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Sullivan, Will (2006-12-17). "Hawkeye Long Shot". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "I'm Tom Vilsack! Who the Hell Are You?". Rolling Stone. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Ramer, Holly (2007-01-19). "Vilsack Argues for Iraq Troop Withdrawl [sic]". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Glover, Mike (2007-01-26). "Vilsack Reiterates Troop Cap Opposition". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Williamson, Stafford (2007-02-20). "Danger in Too Distant Deadlines for Ethanol, Biobutanol, Biodiesel,Biomass and Alternative Energy". DaoChi Energy of Arizona. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Vilsack's Tonight Show Appearance". Associated Press. 2007-02-16. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Zeleny, Jeff (2007-02-23). "Vilsack Withdraws From Presidential Race". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Jones, Jeffrey (2007-02-14). "Clinton, Giuliani Lengthen Leads in Presidential Nomination Trial Heats". Gallup. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Giuliani 56%; Vilsack 28%". Rasmussen Reports. 2006-12-28. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Vilsack Losing Ground, Withdraws from Presidential Race". Rasmussen Reports. 2007-02-23. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Clinton Gains Endorsement from Vilsack". Fox News. 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Sen. Clinton to Pay Off Vilsack's Campaign Debt". KCCI Des Moines. 2007-03-27. Archived from the original on 2007-05-09. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ Beaumont, Thomas (2007-05-28). "Vilsack preps Clinton for Iowa". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2008-07-22.
- ^ "Obama Gains Vilsack's Support". WHO TV. 2008-07-17. Retrieved 2009-06-10. [dead link]
- ^ Glover, Mike (2008-12-16). "Sources: Obama selects Vilsack for ag post". Yahoo News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- ^ Johnston, Nicholas (2009-01-20). "Senate Confirms Seven Obama Nominees, Delays Clinton". Bloomberg. Bloomberg News. Retrieved 2009-06-20.
External links
- Tom Vilsack 2008 presidential campaign at Curlie