Chet Culver | |
|---|---|
 Culver in 2010 | |
| 41stGovernor of Iowa | |
| In office January 12, 2007 – January 14, 2011 | |
| Lieutenant | Patty Judge |
| Preceded by | Tom Vilsack |
| Succeeded by | Terry Branstad |
| 29thSecretary of State of Iowa | |
| In office January 15, 1999 – January 12, 2007 | |
| Governor | Tom Vilsack |
| Preceded by | Paul Pate |
| Succeeded by | Michael Mauro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chester John Culver (1966-01-25)January 25, 1966 (age 59) Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | John Culver (father) |
| Education | Virginia Tech (BA) Drake University (MA) |
Chester John Culver (born January 25, 1966) is an American politician who served from 2007 through 2011 as the41st governor of Iowa. A member of theDemocratic Party, he had previously served as the 29thSecretary of State of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. He was elected governor in the2006 Iowa gubernatorial election and ran unsuccessfully for reelection in2010, losing toTerry Branstad.
He was also elected as the federal Liaison[definition needed] for theDemocratic Governors Association, serving from 2008 to 2009. He founded the Chet Culver Group, an energy sector consulting firm, in 2011 after he left public office.[1] As of 2025, he is the most recent Governor of Iowa from the Democratic Party. He was appointed to be a member of theFederal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation's board of directors in 2012 by PresidentBarack Obama, serving until 2019, and was re-appointed by PresidentJoe Biden on May 23, 2022.[2]
Culver was born in Washington, D.C. He is the son of Ann (née Cooper) andJohn Culver, a former U.S. senator (D-IA).[3] Culver attendedBethesda-Chevy Chase High School inBethesda, Maryland. He studied atVirginia Tech on a football scholarship, where he earned aBachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1988. Later, he received aMaster of Arts degree in education fromDrake University in 1994.[4]
After college, Culver moved to Iowa and worked as a staff member for the state Democratic Party. He worked withBonnie Campbell on her 1990 campaign for state attorney general, serving as field director. Culver had previously worked as a lobbyist under the guidance of Campbell's husband.
From 1991 to 1995, Culver worked as a consumer and environmental advocate in the attorney general's office. After completing his master's degree, he took a job as a teacher inDes Moines. Working first atRoosevelt High School and thenHoover High School, he taughtgovernment andhistory. Culver coached sophomore football and eighth-grade boys basketball during his tenure.[5]
In 1998, Culver ran forSecretary of State of Iowa and was elected by 27,262 votes. At the age of 32, he was the youngest Secretary of State in the United States at the time. He was reelected to a second term in 2002 by 106,310 votes.[2][3] While serving at this post, he created the Iowa Student Political Awareness Club, which attempts to get students motivated to participate in politics when they reach voting age.[6]
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In 2005, Culver announced his candidacy for Governor of Iowa.[7] He defeated three opponents in the 2006 primary when he received 39% of the vote to 34% forMike Blouin, 25% forEd Fallon, and 1% for Sal Mohamed.[8] Culver then ran and won againstJim Nussle in the general election by 101,596 votes.[9]
Culver ran unsuccessfully for reelection with incumbent Lieutenant GovernorPatty Judge. He was challenged byRepublicanTerry Branstad, a four-term former governor who was running withState SenatorKim Reynolds.[10] by 107,696 votes.[11]
Culver signed legislation easing limits on types ofstem cell research in Iowa. "The new legislation allows medical researchers to create embryonic stem cells through cloning. While allowing for further research, it prohibits reproductivecloning of humans," according toNational Public Radio.[12] Culver said lifting the ban will "give hope to those suffering from diseases such as cancer, diabetes,Parkinson's andAlzheimer's." In addition, Culver proposed spending $12.5 million to establish a stem cell research center at theUniversity of Iowa.[13] NPR called it a "Key Moment in the Stem Cell Debate."[12]
A September 2008 poll of Iowans found 60% supported Culver's handling of themajor floods that struck Iowa and much of the Midwest that year.[14] A year later, Culver and other state elected officials expressed "outrage" at the slow pace of disbursement of federal funding to affected areas.[15][16]
In 2010, Culver proposed a $40 million "disaster relief fund" in the state[17] and declared March 2010 "Flood Awareness Month."[18]
Culver signed legislation instituting Iowa's first minimum wage increase in a decade in 2007, raising the hourly wage from $5.15 to $7.25.[19]
Culver touted Iowa as the leading alternative "energy capital of the world".[20] He started a "power fund" to assist with that effort.
He founded the Chet Culver Group, an energy sector consulting firm, in 2011 after he left public office.[21]
In 2012, Culver joined the Board of Directors of theFederal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation after being nominated by former PresidentBarack Obama, where he served until 2019.[22] In July 2021, PresidentJoe Biden nominated Culver to be a member of the board of directors of theFederal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, and he was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on May 18, 2022.[23][24] He joined the board on May 23, 2022.
TheAssociated Press wrote,
"Gov. Chet Culver has bet much of his political future on alternative energy. The power fund was a centerpiece of his campaign for governor, and he managed to push the program through the Legislature. Lawmakers have allocated $49.6 million for the effort over the last two years."[25]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Terry Branstad | 589,828 | 52.86 | +8.2 | |
| Democratic | Chet Culver (incumbent) | 481,590 | 43.16 | −10.8 | |
| Iowa Party | Jonathan Narcisse | 20,747 | 1.86 | n/a | |
| Libertarian | Eric Cooper | 14,293 | 1.28 | +0.7 | |
| Socialist Workers | David Rosenfeld | 2,730 | 0.24 | +.04 | |
| Petition | James Hughes | 3,846 | 0.34 | n/a | |
| Write-in | n/a | 2,717 | 0.24 | n/a | |
| Majority | 108,238 | ||||
| Turnout | 1,047,714 | ||||
| Republicangain fromDemocratic | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Chet Culver | 565,657 | 54.0 | +1.7 | |
| Republican | Jim Nussle | 466,757 | 44.6 | +0.1 | |
| Green | Wendy Barth | 7,722 | 0.7 | −0.7 | |
| Libertarian | Kevin Litten | 5,621 | 0.5 | −0.8 | |
| Socialist Workers | Mary Martin | 1,957 | 0.2 | n/a | |
| Majority | 98,900 | 9.4 | |||
| Turnout | 1,052,005 | ||||
| Democratichold | Swing | ||||
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Culver is aPresbyterian and has served as an elder. His wife Mariclare is aRoman Catholic.[26] Mariclare is also a lawyer with theOffice of the Attorney General. She left the office in 2023 after DemocratTom Miller lost his re-election bid and the incoming Republican asked for her resignation and that of 18 other staffers.[27] His wife gave her personal endorsement toJohn Edwards in the2008 Iowa Caucus,[28] then a week after Edwards dropped out he endorsedBarack Obama on February 7, 2008 inOmaha, Nebraska, as theDemocratic nominee in the2008 presidential election.[29]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Secretary of State of Iowa 1999–2007 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Governor of Iowa 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Anne Pedersen | Democratic nominee forSecretary of State of Iowa 1998, 2002 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forGovernor of Iowa 2006,2010 | Succeeded by |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded byas Former Governor | Order of precedence of the United States Within Iowa | Succeeded byas Former Governor |
| Order of precedence of the United States Outside Iowa | Succeeded byas Former Governor | |
| Territorial(1838–1846) | ||
|---|---|---|
| State(since 1846) | ||
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
