There were other statewide races on the ballot Tuesday besides the competition for governor.
It appears Republican Bill Northey will be Iowa’s next Secretary of Agriculture. Northey’s apparent victory is one of the few bright spots for the GOP in yesterday’s results. With only one of Iowa’s precincts yet to report, Northey holds a nearly 19,000 vote lead over Democrat Denise O’Brien.
Republican State Auditor Dave Vaudt also won a second term in office. He did not have a Democratic opponent. Two other long-time statewide office-holders — Attorney General Tom Miller and State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald — were re-elected without opposition. Both are Democrats.
The next Iowa Secretary of State will be long-time Polk County Auditor Michael Mauro, the Democrat who outdistanced Republican Mary Ann Hanusa in Tuesday’s balloting.
Out-going Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack was claiming partial credit for Democratic successes last night. “This is precisely what I wanted to have happen and this is what I’ve worked hard for and I’m just excited for the party and I’m excited for the state,” Vilsack told Radio Iowa last night.
Dave Roederer, a longtime Iowa Republican party activist, was last to speak at GOP headquarters in Des Moines last night. “What Democracy is — it’s a journey. It’s not a destination,” Roederer said. “So keeping that in mind, we have 728 days until the next election. In fact, we have one year, 11 months, 28 days — or 17,478 hours. Take a rest and then let’s get back to work.”