Christie Vilsack
Encyclopedia
Christie Vilsack 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
.
. 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.
She met her future husband, Tom Vilsack, while attending college in upstate New York
. Tom Vilsack reportedly approached her in the cafeteria and asked her, "Are you a Humphrey or a Nixon supporter?" The couple married on August 18, 1973, in Mount Pleasant. The Vilsacks moved to Mount Pleasant in 1975, where she began her career as a librarian and teacher.
was sworn in as governor in 1999. As First Lady, she focused on education and literacy issues.
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.
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.
in the 2010 election
.
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
, though she ultimately declined to run.
.
and former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack
. They have two adult children.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
advocate
Advocate
An advocate is a term for a professional lawyer used in several different legal systems. These include Scotland, South Africa, India, Scandinavian jurisdictions, Israel, and the British Crown dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. Vilsack is married to former Iowa Governor and current United States Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
, serving as the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
of Iowa from 1999 until 2007. She is a 2012 Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
candidate for U.S. Representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district
Iowa's 4th congressional district
Iowa's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers most of the north-central part of the state....
.
Early life and education
Vilsack was born Ann Christine Bell and raised in Mount Pleasant, IowaMount Pleasant, Iowa
Mount Pleasant is a city in and the county seat of Henry County, Iowa, in the United States. The population was 8,668 in the 2010 census, a decline from 8,751 in the 2000 census. It was founded in 1835 by pioneer Presley Saunders.- History :...
. Vilsack graduated from Kirkland College
Kirkland College
Kirkland College was a small, private liberal arts women's college located in Clinton, New York from 1968 to 1978. It was named for Samuel Kirkland, who founded Hamilton College...
in Clinton, New York
Clinton, New York
Clinton is the name of several places in New York State:*Clinton, Clinton County, New York*Clinton, Dutchess County, New York*Clinton, Oneida County, New York*Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, also known as "Clinton"...
, in 1972. She earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
in 1992.
She met her future husband, Tom Vilsack, while attending college in upstate New York
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is the region of the U.S. state of New York that is located north of the core of the New York metropolitan area.-Definition:There is no clear or official boundary between Upstate New York and Downstate New York...
. Tom Vilsack reportedly approached her in the cafeteria and asked her, "Are you a Humphrey or a Nixon supporter?" The couple married on August 18, 1973, in Mount Pleasant. The Vilsacks moved to Mount Pleasant in 1975, where she began her career as a librarian and teacher.
First Lady of Iowa
Christie Vilsack became First Lady of Iowa when her husband, Tom VilsackTom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
was sworn in as governor in 1999. As First Lady, she focused on education and literacy issues.
As founder and president of the Vilsack Foundation, she partnered with the National Center for Family Literacy
National Center for Family Literacy
The National Center for Family Literacy is an organization set up to create educational and economic opportunity for the most at-risk children and parents in the United States.-Background:...
to promote media literacy with parents and their children.
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.
2010 Iowa Senate election
In October 2009, Vilsack told WHO-DT she was considering a possible run aganist Republican Senator Chuck GrassleyChuck Grassley
Charles Ernest "Chuck" Grassley is the senior United States Senator from Iowa . A member of Republican Party, he previously served in the served in the United States House of Representatives and the Iowa state legislature...
in the 2010 election
United States Senate election in Iowa, 2010
The 2010 United States Senate election in Iowa took place on November 2, 2010, alongside other elections to the United States Senate in other states as well as elections to the United States House of Representatives and various state and local elections in Iowa. The party primary elections were...
.
A Research 2000
Research 2000
Research 2000 is a U.S. opinion polling and marketing research company based in Olney, Maryland. It began doing research on upcoming elections in 1999 after its President, Del Ali, moved on from Mason-Dixon Political Media Research...
poll for the website Daily Kos
Daily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
, 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
Bob Krause (politician)
Robert A. Krause was a candidate for United States Senate from Iowa in the 2010 United States Senate election in Iowa. He lost the Democratic party primaty to Roxanne Conlin who later lost in the Senate election against Charles Grassley. He is a member of the Democratic party.He was first elected...
, though she ultimately declined to run.
2012 Congressional campaign
In April 2011, Vilsack formed an exploratory committee to prepare for a potential campaign for Congress in Iowa's 4th District. She made her official announcement to run on July 19. 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. The district had previously been the 5th, represented by Vilsack's likely general-election opponent, five-term Republican incumbent Steve KingSteve King
Steven Arnold "Steve" King is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.The district is located in the western part of the state and includes Sioux City and Council Bluffs....
.
Personal life
Christie Vilsack is married to Secretary of AgricultureUnited States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...
and former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack
Tom Vilsack
Thomas James "Tom" Vilsack is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party, and presently the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. He served as the 40th Governor of the state of Iowa. He was first elected in 1998 and re-elected to a second four-year term in 2002...
. They have two adult children.
External links
- Christie Vilsack for Congress official campaign website
- 2012 Campaign contributions for Race: Iowa District 04, OpenSecrets.org