| For Immediate Release Sunday, November 29, 2009 Contact: Jesse Harris, Culver/Judge Campaign Phone: (515) 240-2104
| |
Shadowy Republican Group Continues to Mislead Iowans
On Sunday, the Iowa Progress Project, a conservative organization that has consistently refused to disclose its donors, began a new round of patently false attack ads.
As Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge confront the worst national recession in 70 years, Republicans in Iowa including the Iowa Progress Project continue to play cheap political games with Iowa’s future.
Iowans expect and deserve better.
With this new round of attacks, will the group finally disclose its donors so that Iowans know exactly who is funding these advertisements? Is the organization simply funneling out of state and corporate money into Iowa for expensive attacks ads? What is the Iowa Progress Project hiding and why have they refused up to this point to disclose the names?
We challenge those who hide behind these irresponsible ads to make themselves known and provide the same type of transparency required of all Iowa candidates, political parties, and other political organizations. The Iowa Progress Project should immediately provide a list of their donors.
While Iowans wait on their response, here are the facts:
- Iowa’s budget is balanced and has been every year Governor Culver has been in office
- Unlike past governors, Governor Culver refused to raise taxes on Iowans. As revenues declined throughout the country, he instead ordered a 10% across the board cut in state spending including his own salary.
- This month, the Pew Center on the States released a study placing Iowa in a tie for second place among all states for its fiscal strength.
- Citing Governor Culver’s strong fiscal management, Standard and Poor’s, the leading independent credit analysis provider, re-affirmed Iowa’s AAA bond rating. Iowa is one of only 11 states in the nation to receive such a rating, which is S & P’s top possible rating and allows us to borrow money at lower interest rates.
- Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge have made significant investments in Iowa’s educational system. By next year, 90% of Iowa’s children will have access to pre-school programs which is up from 5% when Governor Culver took office in 2007. The Culver/Judge Administration increased teacher pay to keep the best educators here in Iowa.
