First tenure (1983–1999) Bill Clinton in 1993 When he took office as governor at age 36, Branstad became the youngest chief executive in Iowa's history. Reelected in 1986, 1990, and 1994, he left office as Iowa's longest-serving governor. He served as Chairman of the
National Governors Association in 1989–1990, and also was Chair of the
Midwestern Governors Association. In 1997 he chaired the
Education Commission of the States, the
Republican Governors Association, and the Governors' Ethanol Coalition. In 1983 Branstad vetoed a bill to establish a state lottery. Branstad made
reinstatement of the death penalty a central focus of his 1994 re-election campaign; however, despite successfully being re-elected, he was unable to implement this policy due to opposition from Democrats in the
Iowa State Senate. Iowa's unemployment rate went from 8.5% when Branstad took office to a record low 2.5% by the time he left office in 1999. In his first year as governor, the state budget had a $90 million deficit. It took several years until the budget was balanced. Branstad said he did not have enough support in the
legislature to approve budget reforms until 1992. By 1999 Iowa had an unprecedented $900 million budget surplus.
Inter-gubernatorial career and
Robert D. Ray in 2007 Branstad focused most of his efforts outside of politics after leaving office in early 1999. He founded Branstad and Associates, LLC and was also a partner in the firm of Kaufman, Pattee, Branstad & Miller and a financial advisor for
Robert W. Baird and Co. In August 2003 Branstad accepted an offer from
Des Moines University to become its president. On October 16, 2009, he announced his retirement from Des Moines University to run again for governor. President
George W. Bush appointed Branstad to chair the
President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education. The commission was charged with developing a plan to improve the educational performance of students with disabilities. After completing his work with the commission in 2003, Branstad was asked to serve as a member of the National Advisory Council for Positive Action for Teen Health, or PATH. The advisory council encourages action to detect adolescent mental illness. In April 2003 Branstad was named a public member of the
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, which comprises both professional and public members who address a variety of issues related to accounting. Branstad serves on the boards of Conmed Health Management Inc,
American Future Fund, the
Iowa Health System,
Liberty Bank, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and
Living History Farms.
Second tenure (2011–2017) Brandstad surpassed
George Clinton's record as longest serving governor of the United States of 20 years, and 11 months, and 2 days on 14 December 2015.
2010 gubernatorial election On August 2, 2009,
The Des Moines Register reported that Branstad was actively considering seeking the Republican nomination for governor. On October 7, Branstad filed papers to run for governor in the 2010 election. According to a September
Des Moines Register poll, he maintained a 70% favorability rating from Iowans as compared to Governor
Chet Culver's rating of 50%. On June 8, 2010, Branstad won the Republican gubernatorial nomination, but when opposing candidate
Bob Vander Plaats conceded, he did not endorse Branstad. The Des Moines
Tea Party gave Branstad a "no" on their report card regarding "criteria for acceptance" and said Branstad had "a history of raising taxes, [was] not a true conservative, increased the size of government every year he held office, [and] built a state-owned phone company." Former Iowa
State Auditor Richard Johnson accused Branstad of keeping "two sets of books" on the state budget while governor. Johnson said Branstad needed to be "transparent" to Iowa voters about the reporting of Iowa's finances during his tenure as governor.
2014 gubernatorial election Branstad ran for reelection in 2014. He was opposed in the Republican primary by
Tom Hoefling, a political activist and nominee for president in
2012 for both America's Party and
American Independent Party. Branstad won the primary with 83% of the vote. In the general election, Branstad faced Democratic nominee State Senator
Jack Hatch and won with 59% of the vote.
Voting rights Branstad rescinded an executive order signed by governor
Tom Vilsack that restored voting rights to approximately 115,000 felons who had completed their sentences. Iowa was the last remaining state to have felons permanently disenfranchised until 2020, when Branstad's successor, Kim Reynolds, restored voting rights for some felons who had completed their sentences.
Taxes In June 2013, Branstad signed into law a sweeping tax reform bill that had widespread bipartisan support, passing the Iowa Senate by 44 votes to 6 and the Iowa House by 84 votes to 13. The bill, Senate File 295, and an estimated $90 million of annual income tax relief, in part in the form of an increase in the earned income tax credit. The bill also included significant reforms to education and health care. The ranking was based on a comparison of the annual private sector growth rate in all 50 states using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Gun rights On April 13, 2017, with large Republican majorities in the Iowa legislature, Branstad signed a bill into law expanding
gun rights, enacting a
stand-your-ground law, expanding the right of citizens to sue if they believe their
Second Amendment rights are being infringed, and expanding the gun rights of minors, among several other provisions.
Bakken pipeline Branstad's business-friendly appointments to the
Iowa Utilities Board were controversial. They have "virtually assured" approval of the Iowa section of the Dakota Access pipeline. His last appointment was that of
Richard W. Lozier Jr., who represented a pro-pipeline lobby group and who had to recuse himself one month after he joined in 2017.
Discrimination lawsuit On July 15, 2019, a jury in
Polk County, Iowa awarded a gay former state official $1.5 million in damages, finding that Branstad had discriminated against him based on sexual orientation in 2012. == U.S. Ambassador to China ==