Rants for Governor?

The first time I met state Rep. Christopher Rants was at a Perkins restaurant on Gordon Drive in Sioux City in 1997. I was the new Statehouse scribe at The Journal and he was in his third House term representing a chunk of Siouxland.

He ordered pancakes. Just coffee for me.

A few minutes into the interview, Rants told me matter-of-factly that he would eventually become speaker of the House. That sounded really brash at the time, considering that although Rants was well-regarded among majority Republicans, he was hardly a sure bet to run the place.

But there was something about this smart, ambitious guy that made me think he might pull it off. Less than three years later he was House majority leader. By January 2003 he had the speaker’s gavel in his hand.

So now Rants is talking about running for governor.

He appears to be serious about it. Krusty Konservative postedan email this morning that Rants sent to some of his legislative colleagues. He’s put 2,300 miles on his car while exploring the possibilities and is scheduling fund-raisers. His family, Rants said, is on board if he decides to take the plunge.

I know this will surprise some folks, but I still have the fire. I thought maybe it had been extinguished last fall, but it was rekindled during my trip to Israel. I’ve actually had more fun and been more excited over the last two weeks than I have been in a long, long time. I think my clerk Jordan described it best when she called her mom during one of our last debates and told her “Christopher is back.”

Rants is a tenacious competitor and an effective legislator. I watched him push the local option sales tax for school infrastructure through the Legislature in 1998 even though, at the beginning, almost no one supported it. His district wanted it. He got it. And it wasn’t the only time.

He’s a skilled, articulate politician, adept at explaining policy issues in plain language and rhetorically skewering his rivals. Culver would have his hands full if they ever share a stage.

And although he re-lit his fire by fighting gay marriage, Rants might be the kind of candidate who could bridge the current uneasy gap between religious conservatives and establishment types in the GOP. He’s fluent in both economic and social issues. The guy golfs enough to satisfy any good country club Republican.

But some of the same hand-to-hand political skills that make Rants a tough partisan legislative leader might not translate well to a campaign for governor. His executive experience is lacking. And unlike declared GOP candidate Bob Vander Plaats, Rants has a long legislative record to defend. That includes all those compromises he had to hammer out with Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack.

BVP backers are probably already compiling a list of greatest hits. 

Rants can sometimes come off as shrill.  And he’s been known to flash a brand of  smartest-guy-in-the-room exasperation that can be fatal if displayed at the wrong moment. (Just ask Al (sigh) Gore.) He’s got to figure out how to light that “fire” without letting it burn too hot.

And even after years in the legislative spotlight, there are a lot of folks who don’t know who Rants is, especially here in Eastern Iowa.

I’m hoping he jumps in. I still think a couple more candidates join the fun, but don’t ask me who. At this point, it looks like the big names, Vaudt, Northey, King etc., are probably staying out. 

That means Rants has a real shot at grabbing the nomination. It’s no sure bet, but don’t underestimate him.

Monday Inbox — Rebuttal

E-mailer Tsquires did not appreciate my Sunday column on what I see as the scorched-earth misinformation campaign against the judiciary being waged by opponents of legal gay marriages:

We don’t have to assume you are too stupid to understand the judicial system, you prove it every time you attempt to write a clever, albeit, condescending, column once a week on the topic. It amazes me how little knowledge and curiosity you have regarding the Constitution and our Founders. How does being a neutral observer equate to rubber-stamping the Legislature? The fact is, it doesn’t! What you call a three ring circus is exactly how the process is supposed to work. It is messy, slow, and ugly. Face it Todd, there is a reason you are on the OPINION page! What you try to pass as fact is simply your opinion. But I do want to thank you for one thing. After being a Gazette subscriber for more than 25 years, because of the current “staff writers”, all of whom hold the same OPINION on every issue, when my current subscription runs out, I too will join the thousands of others who no longer want to support individuals such as yourself with our hard earned money. I don’t want a single penny of mine going to your financial support. You’ve proven over and over what you are all about, and it isn’t about facts and “journalism”. I’ll give you a year and the paper less than three. Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on the way out. Remember. “Out Magazine”!