Poll tabs Lightfoot

GOP gubernatorial front-runner Jim Ross Lightfoot received another boost Wednesday with the announcement of new polling data.

The survey, conducted by KCCI Channel 8, shows Lightfoot with a 40-point lead over Secretary of State Paul Pate. The former 3rd District Representative garnered 55 percent, while Pate lagged far behind at 14 percent. David Oman held 7 percent of the respondents votes.

Lightfoot, of course, seized the opportunity to get back at Paul Pate for a February incident in which Pate allegedly used push polling techniques while contacting voters. According to campaign manager Troy Bishop, the manipulation of results is still going on.

“I see this as proof that negative campaigning doesn’t bode well with Iowans,” Lightfoot said. “The negative push-polls … are seen for what they are — trash.”

No offense to the Lightfoot campaign, but there’s only one thing being proven here. Name recognition is the key to success early on.

Nussle pac’ing war chest

The fur is already flying in the 2nd District congressional race between four-term Republican incumbent Jim Nussle and challenger Rob Tully of Dubuque.

Nussle has amassed $187,000 from his war chest, according to an article in Sunday’s Waterloo Courier. Tuesday, the Democratic Party sent out a press release accusing Nussle of catering to “big tobacco.”

According to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, political action committees donated 59 percent of Nussle’s campaign funds. Of that amount, 5 percent flowed in from tobacco companies Phillip Morris, R.J. Reynolds and Brown and Williamson.

“Iowa families deserve an explanation,” said state Democratic chair Mike Peterson. Nussle’s spokesman Steve Webber fired back with, “Congressman Nussle is not going to respond to a baseless political charge from a political hack.” Ahh, the pleasantries of politics.

Still, considering Nussle’s votes against an FDA stop-smoking campaign aimed at children and for taxpayer-subsidized tobacco crop insurance, it might seem like the Democrats have a beef.

But Tully’s donor profile elicits similar skepticism. Tully, a former president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association, has received two-thirds of his $105,000 from fellow attorneys and the TLA PAC. “The trial lawyers were dictating right from the beginning where he was taking his campaign,” GOP spokesman Aric Kahle said.

It’s the same old story — money can’t buy you love, but power, well that’s a different story.

Boswell Goes Online

Rep. Leonard Boswell recently launched his new virtual home page, the “official Web site of the Third District.”

The site is full of information about Boswell, his office and his issues, not to mention a picture of the Davis City farmer flanked by the strategically placed Stars and Stripes. It includes an informative guide on what to do in Washington, D.C., complete with admission prices, hours and phone numbers.

And if you want to bend the Congressman’s ear, take your best cyber shot. The URL: http://www.house. gov/boswell. Links to other Representatives’ sites are: www.house. gov:80/MemberWWW.html.