A northwest Iowa Republican who's run for governor twice before plans to run again in 2010.

In the 2008 election cycle, Bob Vander Plaats campaigned extensively with Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who won last year's Iowa Caucuses.

"In 2002 we shocked everybody by narrowly losing the Republican primary. In 2006 we were nominated to be our party's lieutenant governor nominee and in 2008 we won with Governor Huckabee with our network after being outspent 15-to-1," Vander Plaats says. "We think 2010 is going to be a great year for us to not only win the primary, but to win the general election."

Democratic Governor Chet Culver has made it clear he'll seek re-election in 2010. Vander Plaats says Culver's fiscal record will be difficult to explain to Iowans. "They see a governor who's expanded state government by over $900 million in just two years and now we have an economic downturn and it seems like everybody's in crisis and his best idea yet, which he just took off the table, was to sell the state lottery," Vander Plaats says.

Vander Plaats is a former coach, high school teacher and principal who left education to head a human services organization in Sioux City. He's now a consultant. "We need leadership that has real-life experience in business, real-life experience in education, health care and human services," Vander Plaats says, "and that's my resume."

Vander Plaats, who is 45 years old, wrote a book that was published in 2007 and titled "Light from Lucas." The book's about his family's experience with their severely disabled son.

Vander Plaats has a new campaign website -- http://www.teamvp2010.com -- and he's registered his 2010 campaign committee with the state Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Vander Plaats stopped by the Radio Iowa studios in Des Moines this morning for an interview.

Peter Teahen, who ran a failed bid for the GOP nomination for congress in Iowa’s second district in 2008, has signed on to Bob Vander Plaats’s gubernatorial campaign, the Des Moines Register reports.

The Teahen endorsement is relevant for two reasons:

First, the second district GOP primary was heated and at times nasty, and with Teahen, Vander Plaats has aligned himself with the losing side. Perhaps fortunately for Vander Plaats, though, Teahen did win Linn County, which he will be in charge of for 2010, by about 2,500 votes.

Second, both Vander Plaats and Teahen supported former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee during the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. If Vander Plaats can keep team Huckabee united and on his side, he could have the connections to win his party’s nomination. Chief Huckabee Iowa strategist Eric Woolson helped Vander Plaats officially announce his candidacy, so anything is possible.

Team Huckabee did take a blow a few months ago when the Republican Party of Iowa elected Matt Strawn, a former supporter of Sen. John McCain, to serve as state chair. Strawn’s main opponent was former State Rep. Danny Carroll, who worked closely with Vander Plaats as Huckabee’s Iowa co-chair. But Huckabee’s coalition is still as strong as any within Iowa’s GOP base, and Vander Plaats seems poised to capitalize on it.

Dear Friends,


These past two weeks have demonstrated more clearly than ever how real
leadership can make a difference and why your involvement is so crucial to
our freedom. We've seen Chet Culver surrender to the Iowa Supreme Court's
opinion attempting to overturn 161 years of state law and 5,000 years of
cultural heritage on the institution of marriage. Meanwhile, the Democrats
in the General Assembly have labored day and night to raise taxes on working
Iowans and small businesses with their plan to eliminate our ability to
deduct federal taxes from our state returns.



But, I have to tell you that I've been energized by the response we've seen.
Everyday Iowans, many who have never been involved in politics and said they
never would, are speaking out like never before. We saw it at the tea
parties across our state where thousands of people took time off from their
jobs to say, "Enough is enough. We don't want higher taxes and more
government spending that will create a crushing burden for us, our children
and grandchildren." We've seen hundreds of Iowans crowd into the Statehouse
to oppose the efforts of Chet Culver, Mike Gronstal, Pat Murphy and other
Democrats who want to get rid of federal deductibility. Hundreds more Iowans
have raised their voices against same sex marriage. People are frustrated
but they are also ready to take back our government and restore common-sense
values.



These past two weeks have been tremendous for our campaign. I've spoken to
large groups on these issues from one end of the state to the other. My
willingness to take a bold position against same-sex marriage has generated
news coverage - and, more importantly, support - across Iowa and beyond our
borders. And, I can only tell you to "stay tuned" because we're going to be
going at least as strong next week.


I know you feel the same energy, too. Together, we are going to defeat Chet
Culver next year. Please continue to stand with me and fight the fight we
must win for the future of our state. We can have real leadership committed
to building a vibrant economy, world-class schools, access to excellent
health care, a hand up to those in need, energy independence, the sensible
stewardship of our natural and fiscal resources, and policies that encourage
strong families, personal freedom and responsibility. I urge you to take a
moment let your friends know about our campaign and contribute by clicking
here. Thanks for all you're doing - and all that I know you're going to do
as we move forward together to victory.



Bob

Mike Huckabee is interviewing and playing guitar with Kris allen today at noon for this wkends show...also, Huck PAC is going to make an Iowa endorsement today...

Did Huck endorse Bob yet, or is that happening today?
From Facebook:

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