Word: vilsack
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Adding another former rival to his administration, Barack Obama has nominated former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack to be the next secretary of agriculture. Vilsack was not an ideal choice for advocates of sustainable agriculture, who had hoped Obama would choose someone less connected to powerful agribusiness interests (Iowa's economy is dominated by huge corn and pig farms). But Vilsack has shown an ability to think independently and some critics are hoping his credibility with Big Agriculture could help him bring about radical changes in the Department of Agriculture without looking too far out of step with the mainstream...
...after the mayor of Mount Pleasant, the Iowa town where Vilsack lived, was shot and killed, the mayor's father asked him to run for the office. He did in 1987, won and later went on to serve in the Iowa State Senate beginning in 1992. In 1998 he became the first Democratic governor in Iowa in 32 years, winning after being behind by some 20 points in the polls. He served a total of two terms...
...Vilsack has been a strong supporter of biotechnology. He was named Governor of the Year in 2001 by the Biotechnology Industry Organization...
...governor, Vilsack signed into law a 2005 change that allowed convicted felons to vote after serving their sentences. Some 80,000 ex-cons became eligible to vote because of the change...
...Vilsack is an avid runner and ran a marathon in Arkansas in 2005 with the state's then-governor, Republican Mike Huckabee...