Governor-elect Chet Culver drew gales of laughter Thursday during a speech in Des Moines when he revealed he’s being mistaken for other politicians.

“I went down to the Alamo Bowl…I went out that evening (to a) really fun place and I was taking a lot of pictures with Iowa fans and having a good time,” Culver said. “The gentleman playing the piano paused and he said:..’We have a very special guest with us here tonight. Senator Culver has joined us.'” The governor-elect’s father, John, was a United States senator.

“Then, about 20 minutes later, a student from the University of Iowa comes up and says ‘I’ve been wanting to meet you for a long time,'” Culver said. “She says: ‘Governor Vilsack, you’ve been doing a great job. Can I have a picture with you?'”

It happened again Wednesday night when Culver popped into a restaurant in West Des Moines to order some take-out food. “The person waiting on me said ‘It’s so nice to meet you. I’ve been a fan,’ and so she filled out the ticket. She didn’t need my last name and she wrote ‘Nussle’ on the ticket,” Culver said, and the audience erupted in laughter. “So you know I wish Jim all the best — and he’s still got some voters here that are big supporters.”

Culver seemed good-natured about being recognized as someone else. “I’ve got a little work to do,” Culver said. “It keeps me grounded.”

Culver made his comments during a luncheon speech at a policy forum he hosted in Des Moines. You can hear his comments about being mistaken for others by clicking on the link below.
capjoke.mp3 (1939k)