DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Former Gov. Terry Branstad rode his claim of experience and stability back into office Tuesday for a fifth term as Iowa governor, defeating incumbent Democratic Gov. Chet Culver.
The loss by Culver marked the first time since 1962 that Iowa voters have ousted a sitting governor.
Branstad beat Culver by a solid margin, with about 53 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Culver with 78 percent of the state's precincts reporting.
Branstad promised to hit the ground running, saying he'd move quickly into the transition.
"We'll start right away, tomorrow," Branstad told The Associated Press.
ADVERTISEMENT
He noted that Republicans made gains in the Legislature and said that would ease his task as governor.
"That's going to give us an opportunity to get things done," Branstad said.
Branstad credited his win to "hard work and a focus on jobs, those things that Iowans really care about."
He said it was a tough election.
"It's never easy to beat an incumbent," said Branstad. "We worked hard, and we turned our votes out."
A somber Culver said he was proud of his accomplishments during his single term in office, pointing to increasing the minimum wage and recovering from disastrous flooding.
"It's been an enormous privilege to serve the people of Iowa," said Culver. "We are proud of our record."
He said it was a tough election.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's never easy to beat an incumbent," said Branstad. "We worked hard, and we turned our votes out."
A somber Culver said he was proud of his accomplishments during his single term in office, pointing to increasing the minimum wage and recovering from disastrous flooding.
"It's been an enormous privilege to serve the people of Iowa," said Culver. "We are proud of our record."
Also in Iowa, voters for the first time in the state's history removed Supreme Court justices in Tuesday's election, siding with conservatives angered by a ruling that allowed gay marriage.
Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, David Baker and Michael Streit were on the court of seven justices who decided last year that an Iowa law restricting marriage to one man and one woman violated the state's constitution.
They needed a simple majority to retain their seats, but more than 54 percent of voters had decided not to retain them with most of the vote counted.
Gay marriage opponents spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to convince voters to reject the justices.
A group of former governors, lawyers and judges countered that Iowa's independent judiciary was at risk if a one-issue campaign succeeded in removing the justices.
ADVERTISEMENT
The effort to remove the Supreme Court justices was led by former Republican candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats.
