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Did Support for English Hurt Vilsack? One of the hottest political games of the summer was guessing who Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry would choose as his running-mate.Some Democrats were openly urging Kerry to choose Republican Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), but in the end, Kerry chose Democratic Senator John Edwards from North Carolina. One surprising name on the list was Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack. Vilsack, who led Kerry's surprise victory in the Iowa Caucuses thereby making Kerry the nominee, isn't being bandied about as just a friendly payback. He is a proven vote-getter in a pivotal state. But there was one skeleton in Vilsack's closet which may have cost him the vice-presidential nomination: in February 2002, he signed a law making English the official language of Iowa. The Republican-led Iowa legislature debated the new law for several years, following stalled efforts to pass a citizen ballot initiative there. After backers showed the legislators public opinion polls demonstrating overwhelming support, the legislature finally passed the law. Special interests, including liberal and labor groups, urged Vilsack to veto the official English bill. Some staged vigils at his home and at the state capitol. Fortunately, Vilsack was in no position to fight a bill with such strong public support; he was fighting deep spending cuts that forced state worker layoffs. So the governor, citing the bill's increase in funding for programs to teach English, signed the bill into law, making Iowa the 27th state to declare English its official language. "I recognize that the bill is not without controversy," Vilsack said at the bill signing. "My hope is that we can look beyond the controversy and put politics behind us.." Now, of course, politics is back in front of Vilsack. Drake University political scientist Dennis Goldford told the Associated Press that Vilsack's signing the official English bill "could hurt him with some important Democratic constituencies." Vilsack's spokesman, Matt Paul, told AP that Vilsack has made Iowa a "welcoming place for all people. Iowa has experienced an increase in the number of children and families of color living in our state." ELPAC Executive Director Steve Workings shook his head when asked about the Vilsack nomination. "When did the Democratic Party declare war on English? Last time I looked, many ELPAC members are Democrats, we have supported Democrats in the past, and many Democrats support English as the official language. After all, those polls in Iowa were of all voters, not just Republicans. It's sad if the Democrats let themselves be tied up over groundless fears because some self-described leaders are so out of touch with voters' true feelings." 
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The
ELPAC Report