Gubernatorial Stability in Iowa A Stranglehold on Power

by Larimer, Christopher W.

• ISBN13: 9781137528124
• ISBN10: 1137528125
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-10-02
• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot

Summary

Since 1969, governors of Iowa have averaged a decade in office, significantly longer than their peers in other states. Why? This book draws on approval data, interviews with politicos around the state, including two former governors, and a statewide survey of Iowa voters to explain Iowa's unique tendency to reelect governors at an unprecedented rate. Results show that Iowa voters give their governors considerable leeway so long as they feel personally connected to the person holding that office. Iowa voters expect their governor to be out and about on a regular basis, an expectation that is fueled by Iowa's position as holding the first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. A sagging economy doesn't necessarily spell electoral doom for a governor if he perceived as working hard on behalf of the electorate. When that feeling of connectivity is absent, however, such factors weigh heavily on governor's reelection prospects.

Author Biography

Christopher w. Larimer is Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Northern Iowa, USA. He is the co-author of books on public policy and public administration theory, and has authored or co-authored over a dozen articles in political science journals. He was previously President of the Iowa Association of Political Scientists and a regular guest on Iowa Public Radio and KWWL television news. Christopher has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times, the USA Today, the Washington Times, US News and World Report, and served as a guest columnist for the New York Times: Room for Debate.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. The 'personal' power of Iowa governors since 1969
3. Gubernatorial popularity and power in Iowa since 1969
4. 'Iowa comfort' and doing the 'full Grassley'
5. Iowa voters on Iowa governors
6. In Iowa, it's the economy and the person