Rants Drops Out

Sioux City Republican Chris Rants went all in. He said he wouldn't run again for his legislative seat. He would only run for governor. And he had no plans to stop short of the primary. Today, his run took its last step. He dropped out, leaving three others in the race for his party's nomination.

Here's part of what Rants sent out to supporters:

The Last Rants & Raves
Today I am ending my campaign for the office of Governor. I’ve enjoyed meeting and learning from so many Iowans I’ve encountered on my 54,346 mile journey around our state. It has been a rewarding experience for me, and I hope that I’ve given my fellow Republicans some ideas to consider as they shape an agenda for the 2010 election.

Last fall it became evident that my campaign was a long shot. I continued out of a belief that campaigns should be about issues and ideas, and it was worth the effort to shape the public debate around issues that concern my supporters and me. It is now clear that those opportunities for such a debate are not materializing, and I cannot in good conscience accept or solicit support for an effort I know will be ultimately unsuccessful.

Here's the rest of his message.

Rants' departure from the race will surprise some and not surprise others. To outsiders, a former speaker of the house should be one of the front runners for a gubernatorial primary. This never proved to be the case for Rants.

Rants' standing with fellow lawmakers changed over the past few years. He held leadership titles of majority leader, house speaker and minority leader. But as his party continued to lose seats in the house, his colleagues voted to put someone else into leadership. As a candidate for governor, he was never able to transition his fundraising prowess as speaker into his new campaign. His campaign reports in January showed he had just a few thousand dollars left. His campaign operation was in many ways a one-man band. He often drove himself, by himself, to campaign events. He sent out his own news releases. But he was easily accessible to reporters with no filter keeping us out. He was most always up-to-date on the important issues and didn't need time to form the perfect thought or soundbite. Most every interview was "Rants Raw"...no filter, just feelings. In television, editors like the good 10 to 15 second thought filled with emotion and Rants would deliver it. That shoot-from-the-lip quality seemed to make him beloved by his supporters but put off by his detractors in and outside the Iowa Statehouse.

Those who thought there's no way he would quit before the primary are likely surprised by his announcement. Since the race had whittled down to four candidates, some thought there was no reason for him to quit. But others sensed what Rants had told me several times along the campaign. He thought the campaign could be about the guy who could just keep putting out ideas. He constantly highlighted his ideas on his campaign website. He thought that would be enough to win. But he acknowledged everything changed last summer when it looked like former Governor Terry Branstad would get in the race. The money, he said, just dried up. And he never found a way to get it flowing again.

I'll be curious how involved Rants will be in the remaining weeks of his final legislative session. Will he be the same outspoken, hard-charger or will he be more subdued, more reflective of his career in elected office that may soon run out of time?

House Approves Reorganization

The Iowa House overwhelmingly approved a plan Tuesday to encourage thousands of state workers to retire early. I say overwhelmingly. It wasn't unanimous. Sioux City Republican Representative Chris Rants offered the only "no" vote. He said it wasn't an attention getter, even though he is running for governor and trailing badly in popularity and money in the polls and reports I have seen so far.

Rants said he just can't justify spending so much money to lure long-time state workers into retirement at a time so many in the private sector are getting laid off without much, if any, kind of severance plan. He said after doing the math, his no vote just made sense. He said offering retirees $1,000 per year of service up to 25 years, plus five years of state paid health care at $8,000 a year could add up to $65,000 per employee. He said that's too much, so he had to vote "no". He said he does question whether his vote even made sense politically since saving money (supporters said this could save nearly $60 million in the coming year by getting workers to retire early) is what Republicans have been calling for for years.

Democratic leaders disagree, obviously. They sent out this release:

HOUSE APPROVES $60 MILLION SAVINGS PLAN

Des Moines, Iowa – The Iowa House today approved a plan to save the state $60 million with in the next year and help balance the state budget.

“In these tough budget times, I’m glad we’re taking action to find savings and provide services to Iowans more efficiently. The plan we approved will help keep the budget balanced while protecting key priorities for middle class families like education, good-paying jobs, and affordable health care,” said State Representative Marcie Frevert of Emmetsburg, who managed the bill in the House.

Senate File 2062, which was approved on a 96-1 voted, implements an early retirement plan for eligible state employees. The bill is just one piece of a package of state government reorganization plans under consideration by the Iowa Legislature this year. The bill now goes back to the Senate.

John Edwards' love child and thinking out loud

Edwards, the adulterer: Here's an interesting blow-by-blow of how a North Carolina tv station broke the John Edwards' lied to his wife-lied to the country-let down all of his supporters-could have caused a national crisis if he would have become president-paternity scandal. Here's the link.

Rants uncensored: Perhaps, this is a rare glimpse that offers some genuine insight into a legislator's mind, thanks to the emerging social media... On his Twitter account, Sioux City Republican Rep. Chris Rants just asked for advice on the early retirement idea to give cash incentives to long-time state workers to get them to leave their jobs to save the state money. Rants, of course, is also one of the 4 remaining Iowa GOP candidates for governor. Here's his tweet:

I'm struggling how to vote on Early Retirement Bill. It saves money, but Iowans are losing jobs w/out such generous severance. Thoughts?

Out of tune Taylor? As you know, I'm a big country fan. Did anyone else think Taylor Swift was WAAAAY out of tune last night during the Grammy's? Yikes, my ears are still bleeding. Dying cats sound better!