A Republican who’s been a state legislator for nearly a decade is seeking the G.O.P.’s 2010 nomination for governor.
Rod Roberts has represented the Carroll area in the Iowa House, winning five times in a district that has far more registered Democrats than Republicans. Roberts touts his ability to appeal to Democrats and independents in that district. During an appearance in Sac City last June, Roberts said the 2010 Republican nominee for governor must be “friendly and approachable” if the G.O.P. hopes to defeat Democrat Chet Culver in November.
“We need to be as thoughtful and considerate about the messenger who carries our message as the message itself,” Roberts said.
Roberts is a graduate of Iowa Christian College. He has served as director of development for the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in Iowa since 1981. He also served four years on the public school board in Carroll before he ran for the Iowa House. Now, as a gubernatorial candidate, Roberts has stressed that it’s time for all politicians to “be real” with voters. He’s proposed elimination of the corporate income tax and a 10 percent reduction in state income taxes on individual Iowans.
“To be respectful of the hardworking taxpayers of this state means that we should be responsible in Des Moines with the taxpayers’ dollars,” Roberts said at a Dallas County Republican Party picnic last August.
Roberts suggests he’s positioned himself as an alternative for last-minute vote-switchers who are tired of what he calls the “sniping” of his competitors. “There’s a weariness that’s crept in,” Roberts said during a recent appearance on Iowa Public Television. “…It’s like, ‘You know what? We’re looking for someone new to get behind and support.'”
Roberts faces Terry Branstad and Bob Vander Plaats in the June 8th Primary.
Listen to Radio Iowa’s profile of Roberts: capprofileRR