Nussle kicks off campaign with education promise

Republican Congressman Jim Nussle is in the midst of a statewide, seven-day tour with stops in 35 Iowa counties as he kicks off his gubernatorial campaign. Republican Bob Vander Plaats made his candidacy official months ago, now Nussle is officially a candidate for the Republican party’s 2006 nomination for governor. “There might be some speculation or some wonderment that’s still out there, so let me make it very clear right off the bat,” Nussle said. “With a deep pride in Iowa’s past and with a very focused vision for Iowa’s future, I am proud to announce that I am a candidate for the next governor of the state of Iowa.” During his campaign speech, Nussle’s outlining a couple of 10-year goals for Iowa. Nussle promises to take steps to make Iowa students number one in the world in math and science in a decade. “Iowa is a great state and it’s filled with wonderful people just like you, but like you, I’m not satisfied with either the direction or the accmoplishments of our state,” Nussle says. “I think we can do better.” Nussle also promises to shrink the size of state government, then turn his attention to shrinking the size of all levels of government. Nussle says he’s not making “pie-in-the-sky” political promises, but feels “called to action” to lead the state in a new direction. “It’s time for a leader with courage to step forward and embrace bold ideas,” Nussle says. “Plain and simple, it’s time for a leader here in Iowa.”