Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch announced today that Cedar Rapids City Council member Monica Vernon will be his running mate. In addition to following the Iowa tradition of female lieutenant governors, Vernon balances the ticket geographically and ideologically. An elected official in Iowa’s second-largest city for seven years, she has been campaigning around northeast Iowa since last summer as a Democratic candidate for Congress. She carried Linn County and finished a strong second to Pat Murphy district-wide on June 3.

Some Democrats are grumbling that Vernon is a longtime Republican who joined our party just five years ago. But frankly, Hatch isn’t running in a Democratic primary. He needs to appeal to a statewide electorate including thousands who have become disaffected from the GOP, just like Vernon did. Anyway, she is arguably more progressive than Governor Chet Culver’s running mate, lifelong Democrat Patty Judge. Despite the complaining, there shouldn’t be any major snags when the Iowa Democratic Party’s statewide convention officially nominates Vernon for lieutenant governor this Saturday.

After the jump I’ve posted background on Vernon and other recent news from the Hatch campaign, including his first television commercial for the general election and highlights from his weekend appearance on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program.

From the “Meet Monica Vernon” page of Hatch’s campaign website:

First elected in 2007, Monica Vernon is currently serving her second four-year term on the Cedar Rapids City Council. She is serving her fifth year as Mayor Pro Tempore, Chair of the Council’s Community/Economic Development Committee and past Chair of the Metropolitan Planning Organization where she works with Cedar Rapids, Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, Ely, Fairfax and Linn County.

Monica has been instrumental in driving the successful recovery of Cedar Rapids after a historic 2008 flooding disaster. As part of the recovery efforts, Monica helped coordinate the recovery work with federal, state and local agencies, local not for profits, neighborhood organizations, local labor unions, and businesses to bring back housing, businesses, jobs and public facilities in the affected area that encompassed approximately 1/6 of the city. Monica is proud of the work that has been done to make the city better than ever while maintaining service delivery and growth in the rest of the community.

Prior to becoming a member of city council, Monica Vernon built a reputation for progressive leadership in her community. She spearheaded local efforts to raise $1.7 million to build the Madge Phillips Center for homeless women and children. In 2013, Trees Forever honored her with their Advocate of the Year award. Monica has also been an advocate for jobs & economic development, civil & human rights, affordable housing, diversity and inclusion, education, neighborhood safety, and other quality of life issues affecting the region.

A small business owner by trade, Monica is the founder and past president of Vernon Research Group, a 26 year-old market research firm that serves business and industry, government, education, health care, and not for profits. Prior to founding Vernon Research Group, Monica served as community relations director for Mount Mercy University and worked as a reporter for The Gazette. She has also been an adjunct faculty member of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center in the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa.

A life-long Iowan, Monica Vernon holds a BA in Journalism and an MBA from the University of Iowa. She and her husband Bill have three adult daughters – Natalie, Frances, and Eleanor.

James Lynch’s report for the Cedar Rapids Gazette added,

As a congressional candidate, Vernon said her top priorities were improving access to education, including preschool and postsecondary programs, and investing in infrastructure, such as roads and the electrical grid. She also supported same-sex marriage, pro-choice and gender pay equity. […]

The former small business owner and Chamber of Commerce member developed a working relationship with local labor unions – an important constituency for the Hatch-Vernon team that is likely to be outspent by the Branstad-Kim Reynolds ticket.

Cedar Rapids area union endorsed and contributed to her congressional campaign. That included the 15,000-member Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Building Trades Council that represents 18 building trade unions in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor.

Still, Vernon was not a universal choice as at last one Democratic lawmaker commented that the hope had been for a Democrat as lieutenant governor nominee. That’s a reference to Vernon’s Republican past. Raised a Republican, she changed her party affiliation in 2009. Her party hopping was an issue that dogged her during the 1st District race.

“I’ve been a lifelong progressive and community activist. I wanted to become part of a party that made sense to me,” she explained when other candidates described themselves as “lifelong” party members.

Vernon seems like a solid running mate choice whose background complements Hatch’s. He certainly hasn’t hurt himself, from where I’m sitting.

On June 10 the Hatch campaign launched its first television spot for the general election campaign. To film “Fresh Start,” Hatch shaved off a mustache he had worn for 46 years.

My annotated transcript:

Male voice-over: There are two men running for Iowa governor. [Viewer sees Hatch walking into a barber shop. He says, “Hi, Rick.”]

Voice-over: Terry Branstad, who supports tax breaks for undeserving corporations. [Viewer sees fake newspaper with large photo of Branstad below headline, “Branstad seeking 24 YRS as Gov.” Words near bottom of screen: Terry Branstad supports tax breaks for undeserving corporations]

And Jack Hatch, who supports tax cuts for working-class families. [Viewer sees Hatch sitting in barber’s chair, reading newspaper as he gets a haircut. Words near bottom of screen: Jack Hatch for Governor]

While Governor Branstad was giving away 200 million dollars in tax breaks to a wealthy Egyptian company, [Viewer sees newspaper with Branstad’s photo, headline “Branstad seeking 24 YRS as Gov,” Words near bottom of screen: Terry Branstad “$200 million in tax breaks” for Egyptian fertilizer company, Associated Press, 2/14/13; then sees Hatch reading the paper, shaking his head along with the barber.]

Jack Hatch was rebuilding neighborhoods and putting Iowans to work. [viewer sees Hatch lying back in barber’s chair, getting an old-fashioned shave. Words near bottom of screen: Jack Hatch for Governor, JackHatch.com ]

There’s only one thing that Branstad and Jack Hatch have in common. And for Jack, that’s one thing too many. [Barber finishes shaving Hatch, holds up mirror to him]

Hatch looks at camera, removes hand from mouth, revealing that his trademark mustache is gone. “I’m Jack Hatch, and like you, I’m ready for a fresh start.” [Ad ends with footage of Hatch smiling, talking with someone, words on screen HATCH for GOVERNOR. For a fresh start. ]

I like it. Reminding Iowans that Branstad wants to be governor for 24 years is a good starting point for Hatch. Even before scandals caused a slide in the governor’s approval rating this spring, polls indicated that lots of Iowans like Branstad but aren’t convinced he should serve a sixth term. You don’t have to hate him to agree that Iowa needs a “fresh start.” Shaving the mustache to draw a contrast with the incumbent may be a gimmick, but people who see this commercial will remember it. Plus, one of my friends commented that Hatch looks younger without the mustache.

Branstad’s unnecessarily expensive deal with the Orascom fertilizer company will be a recurring theme of Hatch’s case to Iowans this fall. More on that below.

Unfortunately for the Democratic challenger, he can’t afford to run his debut ad as widely as Governor Terry Branstad and the Republican Governors Association are advertising now. Jason Noble reported for the Sunday Des Moines Register on June 15,

Branstad’s campaign alone has a bankroll several times larger than Hatch’s – an advantage that doesn’t even take into account the benefit of advertising on his behalf by third parties like the RGA.

The commercial that Hatch released last week will air in the Des Moines and Cedar Rapids markets, with total spending of just more than $67,000 through the month of June.

The RGA’s two ads, by contrast, are running statewide, with a total buy of about $420,000. The positive Branstad ad is also running statewide, with buys of nearly $850,000 for the month of June. Both represent spending in excess of the total campaign cash Hatch reported on hand in the most recent campaign filing period.

Bleeding Heartland covered Branstad’s commercial and the governors association’s first hit on Hatch here. Here’s the second:

My transcript:

Female voice-over: Real estate developer Jack Hatch won’t release all of his tax returns. [Viewer sees black and white photo of Hatch, person’s hand with words “Jack Hatch won’t release all of his tax returns.”]

What’s Jack hiding? [image intended to look like Hatch peering out from behind window blinds, words on screen WHAT’S JACK HIDING?]

You want to be governor, Jack, so what’s in all of your tax returns? [Image of sign with words JACK HATCH WHAT’S IN ALL YOUR TAX RETURNS?]

In the state Senate, developer Hatch sponsored a bill to increase development tax credit funding by millions of dollars. [image of Hatch and State Capitol building, words on screen JACK HATCH SPONSORED A BILL TO INCREASE DEVELOPMENT TAX CREDITS BY MILLIONS small print: Iowa legislature, S.F. 29, 1/18/07]

while applying for tax credits on a 50 million dollar condominium project he was building. [words on screen HATCH APPLIED FOR TAX CREDITS ON HIS $50 MILLION DEVELOPMENT Des Moines Register, 1/14/07]

Jack, isn’t that a conflict of interest? What are you hiding? [viewer sees photo of smiling Hatch, words on screen JACK HATCH, ISN’T THAT A CONFLICT OF INTEREST? JACK HATCH, WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?]

Come on, Jack. Release all of your tax returns. [ad closes with image meant to look like Hatch peering out from behind window blinds, small-print language about Republican Governors Association paying for the ad]

When Branstad ran for governor in 2010, he didn’t release all of his tax returns from the previous decade. Not to mention the fact that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney didn’t even release his full tax returns when he was running for president. Senator Chuck Grassley has benefited from farm subsidies in various federal bills he’s voted for. But the average viewer won’t know this context and may believe Hatch is hiding some shady business deals.

Hatch’s campaign manager accused the Branstad campaign of colluding with the governors association to run a “Washington, DC-style race.” Hatch addressed the substance of the ad on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press.”

Yeah, it was interesting because it’s kind of an odd attack on me. I have a letter, I even asked the Branstad administration in 2011 to see if I had a conflict of interest in my business as a state senator. They wrote back, and I think I released that to the press yesterday, that said, they said, there’s no conflict of interest. And I didn’t vote for any of those bills. If you look at my record, and we also have that available, I have abstained from committee and on the floor for any kind of appropriations or tax credits for the Iowa Finance Authority that would be, that would appear to help me as a developer. We have a citizen legislature, we have teachers and farmers and everybody else that benefits in an indirect way. I am no different. But I even went a step further. To ensure that that’s not a criticism I abstained from voting. I think this is an attempt by the Branstad administration and his campaign and his friends to deflect from their scandal-ridden administration.

Hatch added that none of his development projects have used eminent domain, the theme of the first Republican Governors Association attack ad against him.

The Iowa Republican blogger Craig Robinson commented on the second negative spot,

The RGA ad is brutal, and I’m shocked at how much money they are spending going after Hatch this early in the race.  I’ve written before that I don’t know how wise it is to attack Hatch early because it’s likely to raise his name I.D., and as we have seen in the U.S. Senate race in Iowa and now in the Virginia 7th Congressional District [where Eric Cantor lost the primary], negative ads might be backfiring this cycle.  Now to be fair, those two examples are from Republican primaries, but I still worry that Republicans are helping Hatch become known across the state.

I assume the RGA’s internal polling made them a little nervous about Iowa, prompting them to try to take out Hatch early. They know that for now, the Democratic Governors Association isn’t planning to spend any money here. They know that he will attack Branstad for cronyism, corruption, and lack of transparency in his administration, so it’s not surprising they are smearing Hatch first.

Hatch taped “Iowa Press” on June 12, and you can find the full video and transcript here. Invited to introduce himself to a statewide audience and explain why he’s running for governor, he responded,

Hatch: Well, I’m an Iowan that went to school here, married here, raised a family here, grew a business. My wife and I are business partners in affordable housing and property management for the last 13 years. We have built over $100 million worth of affordable housing in two cities. We have contributed a great deal to this state. I’ve been an accomplished legislator and now I want to put those skills to work for Iowans being the next governor.

Obradovich: Tell us briefly why you are running. And also, if you can boil it down into just a few words, what your vision is for the state of Iowa.

Hatch: Sure. Iowa is a state right now that is coasting. We have lost opportunities and we have not taken advantage of the opportunities that are ahead of us. We have a governor that is in the middle of a scandal-ridden administration. He has more scandals than any governor in the history of this state. It is diverting him from taking his eye on what should be the vision and moving Iowa forward. I have a different vision, a different view. I’m going to focus on security and what I call the four securities, education security, energy security, environmental security and economic and job development security. When it comes to education security I want Iowa schools to be restored to the prominence it had, that we had once before. I want every four-year-old to go to early childhood education. Every kid who wants to go to college can go to an affordable college and get the training they need for their life careers. I want adults to be trained so that they can continue to meet the demands that are here. I want our kids to swim in rivers and lakes. I want us to be prepared for the extreme conditions of our climate. I want to continue the energy proposals that have been here for the past 20 years. When Governor Branstad left office we were importing 98% of our energy. Now we are exporting 25% because of wind and solar. And economic development and economic security means that we want to have jobs that are ready for everybody in this state.

Obradovich: You mentioned lost opportunities. What do you mean by that?

Hatch: Lost opportunities is where we really have not been funding our public education, where he is the first governor in the past 50 years that did not recommend additional funding for education. We didn’t have the money provided to make sure that our kids got the proper education that they need. Education is now becoming unaffordable for a lot of people. He’s just waking up to that. His economic development strategy is to bring in out-of-state, foreign corporations, bringing lots of money to bring them here instead of making sure that we have an economic development policy that comes from the community up. We don’t want to put all of our money in one company in one part of the state. We want to broaden it out so small businesses and communities can grow.

Hatch’s “fresh start” ad highlighted the huge tax giveaway to the “undeserving” Orascom fertilizer company. He hammered away at this message during “Iowa Press.”

Henderson: You have twice now mentioned the Iowa fertilizer plant, which is being built by Orascom, an Egyptian company. People in southeast Iowa were happy to see those jobs. What do you say to people who are happy to see jobs in their area when you are attacking the awarding of the tax incentives for that project?

Hatch: That has been described by an ISU economist as the worst economic deal in the state’s history. It has been disproportionate with the amount of state tax credits we provided that plant. $110 million, equivalent to about $700,000 a job. Just two months later he made another deal with a fertilizer plant up in Sioux City but it was for half as much. And then a third deal that was a quarter as much. What we’re complaining about —

Borg: But Senator, how would you grow — in competing with other states, how would you grow Iowa’s economy, which is very competitive in attracting industry — what are the other options you would propose?

Hatch: Well, we have to make sure that we have a finite amount of money, credits, to provide as incentives. And I don’t disagree with those tax credits as incentives. But to put so much into one company that is providing so little return to the state of Iowa was a terrible deal. It is the worst economic deal that he negotiated in the state of Iowa, putting only 165 jobs there, knowing that the building and construction of that plant is going to attract builders and contractors from Illinois and Missouri and Iowa, it’s not creating the economic boom for Iowans that he is pretending. It is also a company that is still under federal investigation by the federal government. So, we have been snookered by this Governor by giving it to a company that is undeserving, and that’s the word I used in my ad, undeserving corporations. You know, not all corporations are undeserving. You’ve got Rockwell-Collins, you’ve got Deere, you’ve got John Deere, we give tax credits to them for researchers because they keep their jobs here. That is what you want to do, provide income incentives to ensure that the growth is with Iowa companies.

Any comments about the governor’s race are welcome in this thread.