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Branstad dismisses criticism from Democrats
Posted: 12.18.2009 at 8:13 AM
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CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA (AP) -- Former Republican governor Terry Branstad says he has learned from his mistakes, but Gov. Chet Culver and legislative Democrats have not.
Branstad says he will formally announce he's running for governor next month. At an appearance Thursday in Cedar Rapids, he dismissed a barrage of criticism from the Iowa Democratic Party, which says his current campaign is a flip-flop from positions he held during 16 years as governor.
Iowa Democratic Chairman Michael Kiernan says Branstad's recent campaign remarks have repeatedly contradicted his actions as Iowa's longest-serving governor.
At his appearance, Branstad didn't defend using road funds to pay for the Iowa State Patrol, which he did for 11 years before ending the practice. He said it was a bad budgeting, and he accused Culver of wanting to resume it.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)