Lit_Match

Tom Vilsack

Gender: Male
Family: Wife; Ann Christine Bell
children 2 sons; Jess and Doug
Birth date: December 13, 1950
Birth place: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Religion: Roman Catholic

education:
Bachelor's degree, Hamilton College
J.D., Albany Law School

Political Experience:
Mayor of Mount Pleasant, Iowa in 1987
Iowa State Senate in 1992
Governer, 1999 to 2007

__________________
Donation links to NORML (The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws) | MPP (Marijuana Policy Project)

Lit_Match

(AP) Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a centrist Democrat seeking an early edge in an all-but-certain crowded presidential field, launched a long-shot bid for the White House Thursday.

Fifteen months before his own state holds caucuses _ the first step in the nominating process _ Vilsack announced his candidacy, filed documents with the Federal Election Commission and heralded a multistate tour beginning Nov. 30.

The governor is the first Democrat to file for the presidency although a number of better known candidates are presumed to be running.

"Americans sent a clear message on Tuesday. They want leaders who will take this country in a new direction," he said in a statement. "They want leaders who share their values, understand their needs, and respect their intelligence. That's what I've done as governor of Iowa, and that's what I intend to do as president."

Overshadowing the announcement is the upheaval in Washington as Democrats captured control of the House and Senate in Tuesday's elections. But Vilsack, a little-known Midwest governor, needs all the attention he can get _ and the first infusion of campaign cash.

Vilsack said he plans a "Gala Celebration of American Community" on Dec. 2 in Des Moines as his initial fundraising event.

In polls, Vilsack has trailed the other potential candidates, among them front-runner New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and 2004 vice presidential nominee John Edwards. Earlier this year, the governor even was behind in a survey of Iowans.

"He's the least known of the prospective presidential candidates and he comes from the smallest state, where he will have to do very well," said former aide Ron Parker.

In an Associated Press-AOL News poll conducted in late October, Vilsack didn't receive any mentions when respondents were asked who they would most like to see elected president in 2008.

Vilsack will begin his tour in his hometown of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, and will make stops in New Hampshire, Nevada, Pennsylvania and South Carolina. Vilsack was born in Pittsburgh, and the other states hold key early tests in the nomination process.

He said he will also announce his candidacy in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Nevada and South Carolina.

Vilsack is chairman of the centrist-leaning Democratic Leadership Council and a former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. This year, he had made campaign trips to South Carolina and New Hampshire, but also spent the closing weeks of the campaign in his home state helping Democrat Chet Culver win the governorship.

Vilsack, Iowa's first Democratic governor in 30 years, had promised to serve just two terms.

He hasn't been the only Democrat campaigning in Iowa. Several potential, more familiar candidates have traveled to the state, including Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. A long string of candidates in both parties have already begun building campaign organizations.

"Caucus-goers in Iowa tend to be pretty independent-minded people," said Steve Hildebrand, who has advised Obama. "They want to audition the full list. They don't automatically go with the hometown guy."

When Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin sought the Democratic nomination in 1992, rivals decided to cede the state to him, but Vilsack is unlikely to get such a break, strategists say.

During his eight years as governor, Vilsack has sought to chart a moderate course. He balanced the state's budget during the recession of 2001 and 2002 by making deep cuts in spending, including furloughing 10 percent of the state's workforce. He resisted pressure to push for tax increases, and signed into law a measure phasing out the sales tax on utility bills.

In addition to creating a presidential campaign committee, his campaign started operating, with an office in Des Moines and letterhead printed. His campaign Web site _ Tom Vilsack for President _ was online by early Thursday.

On the Republican side, Rep. Duncan Hunter of California has announced the formation of an exploratory committee. About a dozen other candidates, including Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, are weighing bids.

Lit_Match

Washington DC February 15, 2007; The AIADA newsletter reported that yesterday in California, 2008 Democratic presidential candidate Tom Vilsack called energy security "the single most important issue facing America today".

The two-term Iowa Governor said that freeing the nation from foreign-oil dependence and the threat of global warming can be achieved with his 50-year, seven-point energy security plan.

Highlights of the plan include:

-adopting standards requiring all fuel providers by 2010 to reduce the amount of carbon their fuel produces by 1 percent a year for 10 years

-offering new tax incentives including a 25-cent-per-gallon credit for production of ethanol not from corn but other cellular fibers

-enacting new renewable fuel standards ensuring vehicles are 50 percent more efficient by 2030

-encouraging technological innovation and offer incentives to make America's transportation system almost petroleum-free by 2040.

According to the Oakland Tribune, Vilsack said his campaign will monitor its monthly travel and electricity use, calculate how much carbon is emitted as a result, and send money to help build clean and renewable energy projects to offset or neutralize that pollution.

Plainsman1963

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack said Friday he is dropping out of the 2008 Democratic race for president.

Vilsack's campaign lasted 15 weeks.

"The reality is that this process has become ... about money, a lot of money," the former two-term governor told reporters.

Vilsack, a harsh critic of the Iraq war, was considered a long shot for gaining the Democratic Party's nomination. He faced stiff competition, notably from Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois.

Vilsack opposed President Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, and said this week that Congress should immediately cut funding for the war, according to the Des Moines Register.

Speaking at the first issues forum of the 2008 Democratic presidential campaign, Vilsack said his rivals eventually will agree with his stance.

"As more and more of our young people die, as more helicopters are shot down ... I think more and more Americans are going to see the wisdom of this position," he told reporters after the forum. "And I will guarantee you, six months from now, virtually everybody on that stage today will be where I am today."

Vilsack proposes diverting the war funding to the development of alternative fuels.

Eight of the nine Democrats running for president participated in the Wednesday event in Carson City, Nevada, sponsored by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, an influential Democratic voting bloc.

Vilsack formally announced his presidential candidacy in November; his gubernatorial term ended in January.

On other issues:


Vilsack supports abortion rights.


As governor, he deployed Iowa National Guard troops to assist at the California-Mexico border to aid Bush's immigration proposals.


He supports Iowa's law banning same-sex marriage but says a federal or state constitutional ban is unnecessary. He supports civil unions for same-sex couples.


He opposes the Bush plan to allow workers to divert some Social Security payroll taxes into private retirement accounts. He signed state law phasing out income taxes on Social Security benefits.

Ex-Iowa governor*drops*2008 presidential bid - CNN.com