- Christie Vilsack
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Christie Vilsack 
First Lady of Iowa In office
January 15, 1999 – January 12, 2007Preceded by Chris Branstad Succeeded by Mariclare Culver Personal details Born 1950 (age 60–61)
Mount Pleasant, IowaPolitical party Democratic Party Spouse(s) Tom Vilsack Children two Alma mater Kirkland College
University of IowaChristie Vilsack (born 1950 in Mount Pleasant, Iowa) is an American literacy advocate and politician. Vilsack is married to former Iowa Governor and current United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, serving as the First Lady of Iowa from 1999 until 2007. She is a 2012 Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district.[1]
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Early life and education
Vilsack was born Ann Christine Bell and raised in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.[2] Vilsack graduated from Kirkland College in Clinton, New York, in 1972. She earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa in 1992.[3]
She met her future husband, Tom Vilsack, while attending college in upstate New York.[2] Tom Vilsack reportedly approached her in the cafeteria and asked her, "Are you a Humphrey or a Nixon supporter?"[2] The couple married on August 18, 1973, in Mount Pleasant.[2] The Vilsacks moved to Mount Pleasant in 1975, where she began her career as a librarian and teacher.[4]
First Lady of Iowa
Christie Vilsack became First Lady of Iowa when her husband, Tom Vilsack was sworn in as governor in 1999. As First Lady, she focused on education and literacy issues.[3]
As founder and president of the Vilsack Foundation, she partnered with the National Center for Family Literacy to promote media literacy with parents and their children.[5]
In 2007, Vilsack founded The Iowa Initiative, a privately funded foundation which aims to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies among Iowa women ages 18 to 30. She served as executive director of the Initiative until February 2011, when she resigned to focus on exploring opportunities for seeking elected office. She now serves as chair of the Board of Directors.[6]
Political career
2010 Iowa Senate election
Main article: United States Senate election in Iowa, 2010In October 2009, Vilsack told WHO-DT she was considering a possible run aganist Republican Senator Chuck Grassley in the 2010 election.[7][1]
A Research 2000 poll for the website Daily Kos, conducted just days after the interview, showed that Grassley led Vilsack 51-40 in a hypothetical matchup, placing Vilsack in a statistical tie with declared Democratic party candidates Roxanne Conlin and Bob Krause, [8] though she ultimately declined to run.
2012 Congressional campaign
Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa, 2012In April 2011, Vilsack formed an exploratory committee to prepare for a potential campaign for Congress in Iowa's 4th District.[9] She made her official announcement to run on July 19.[10] If elected, Vilsack would be the first woman to represent Iowa in Congress. Iowa is one of two states that has never elected a woman to the House, Senate or governorship.[11] The district had previously been the 5th, represented by Vilsack's likely general-election opponent, five-term Republican incumbent Steve King.[12]
Personal life
Christie Vilsack is married to Secretary of Agriculture and former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack. They have two adult children.[3]
References
- ^ a b Henderson, Kay (2010-08-18). "Christie Vilsack says she “can’t wait indefinitely”". Radio Iowa. http://www.radioiowa.com/2010/08/18/christie-vilsack-says-she-cant-wait-indefinitely/. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ^ a b c d Okamoto, Lynn (2009-10-15). "Vilsack biography". Des Moines Register. http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/99999999/NEWS09/40702012. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- ^ a b c "Christie Vilsack, Executive Director". The Iowa Initiative. http://www.iowainitiative.org/uploads/pdf/christie_vilsack_bio.pdf. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Lynch, James Q. (2009-10-15). "Vilsack doesn't stop rumors of Senate bid". Sioux City Journal. http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_83c8d75f-9c83-557d-a379-53c85bd8d20e.html. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ Marc Loresto. "Verizon Tech Savvy Honoree to be visited by awards founder, the former First Lady of Iowa". Little Tokyo Service Center. http://www.ltsc.org/index.php/pressroom/press-releases/32-verizon-tech-savvy-honoree-diskovery-angelina-to-be-visited-by-awards-founder-the-former-first-lady-of-iowa. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Lynda Waddington (19 December 2008). "Christie Vilsack will continue work in Iowa". Iowa Independent. http://iowaindependent.com/9822/christie-vilsack-will-continue-work-in-iowa. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
- ^ Smith, Ben (2009-10-14). "Senator Vilsack?". The Politico. http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/1009/Senator_Vilsack.html. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- ^ http://www.pollster.com/blogs/ia_2010_sen_gov_kos_101214ia_2.php
- ^ Jennifer Jacobs (21 April 2011). "Christie Vilsack announces she'll explore run for Congress". Des Moines Register. http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2011/04/20/christie-vilsack-announces/. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Christie Vilsack: I’m running for Congress to take civility to Washington, Jennifer Jacobs, Des Moines Register, July 19, 2011
- ^ Jill Lawrence (21 April 2011). "Christie Vilsack, the Woman Challenging Iowa's Glass Ceiling". The Daily Beast. http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-04-20/christie-vilsack-could-shatter-iowas-glass-ceiling-by-defeating-steve-king/full/. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
- ^ Alex Isenstadt (18 April 2011). "Vilsack likely to take on Steve King". Politico. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=5D6A785A-0E8A-4B0E-843F-763EA3C6023D. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
External links
- Christie Vilsack for Congress official campaign website
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- 2012 Campaign contributions for Race: Iowa District 04, OpenSecrets.org
Categories:- Iowa Democrats
- Spouses of United States Cabinet members
- First Ladies and Gentlemen of Iowa
- Spouses of United States mayors
- People from Henry County, Iowa
- Living people
- Women in Iowa politics
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