What about Bob?

Its been 21 days since Bob Vander Plaats announced his campaign for Governor; and while a number of other candidates have indicated interest, Vander Plaats remains the only official candidate in the field to date. Vander Plaats was clear when he announced his campaign last month that an official announcement would come later in the year after he has tested the waters. For those of you new to politics “testing the waters” means can I raise enough money to run an actual campaign.

There is no doubt that Vander Plaats is trying to tap into Governor Mike Huckabee’s supporters from last year’s caucuses. In fact, I’m told that Vander Plaats plans to attend a HuckPAC house party in Urbandale on February 26th. While attending events like these are no brainers for Vander Plaats he also needs to expand his following outside of those groups if he wants to be successful in June of 2010.

While I know we are still more than a year from the primary, I’ve been surprised by the lack of buzz created by Vander Plaats since announcing his candidacy. First, I thought Vander Plaats would have responded directly to State Senator Mike Gronstal’s challenge about what and where to cut in the state budget. This is the advantage of being the only candidate in the race, yet Vander Plaats have been mum on the subject. Additionally he has been silent on the hullabaloo over the management of the Rebuild Iowa Office. I know the focus is on raising money, but being covered in the press does wonders for your campaign coffer.

Vander Plaats did talk to the Iowa Independent on Friday saying that the current budget crisis provides the state with an opportunity to cut spending outside of our priorities. I know I’m picky but I’d like to see him give some specifics. Heck, I’m a little disturbed that his website doesn’t have any information on any issues. I know some new candidates sometimes struggle to fill out their issue page, but Vander Plaats has been around long enough to know where he stands on most issues that voters care about.

One thing that should concern Vander Plaats is the fact that David Yepsen thinks more of his campaign’s state chair Rep. Jodi Tymeson than his own candidacy. The way I read Yepsen’s article it seemed to me that David doesn’t realize that Tymeson is Vander Plaats’ state chair. That’s a problem, and while Yepsen is known for mailing it in on occasion, Tymeson was part of Vander Plaats announcement tour.

Maybe Bob should spend a little more time talking to Yepsen at the Register, than doing an interview with Iowa Independent which is funded by Tim Gill, a gay rights activist.