Vilsack to seek 2008 Dem. nomination

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack announced his candidacy for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, positioning himself as a Washington outsider with heartland appeal.

Vilsack also emphasized the nexus between oil dependence, national security and the economy, saying he would give high priority to weaning the nation off foreign oil and promoting alternative energy.

"Energy security will revitalize rural America," Vilsack told more than 500 cheering backers in the small town where be began his political career as mayor. "Energy security will allow us once and for all to remove and reduce our dependency on foreign oil from foreign countries that do not like us."

Taking aim at President Bush, Vilsack said: "We have in the White House a president whose first impulse is to divide and to conquer, who preys on our insecurities and fears for partisan gain ... "

Instead, Vilsack, the first Democrat to formally enter the race, vowed to have "the courage to create change" and resist the "endless partisan debates."

In an era when voter unhappiness with corruption and partisan wrangling in Washington is especially high, political analysts said Vilsack is particularly well-positioned as a Midwestern governor to run for the White House as an outsider.

Nevertheless, Vilsack has a low profile outside Iowa and even he acknowledges his candidacy is a long shot.

Vilsack, who is finishing his second term, headed out quickly after his announcement for events in New Hampshire, South Carolina, Nevada and other states holding early tests of strength in the nomination contest.

During his tenure as governor, Vilsack has pushed for developing alternative energy sources such as ethanol, biodiesel and wind power.

"In the past eight years, I have helped lead our state, Iowa, to successfully changing by making our farm fields into energy fields," said Vilsack. "We became the renewable fuel leader and producer in the country. It helped us to become more economically, environmentally and energy secure."

As governor, Vilsack, 55, has carved out a reputation as a political centrist. He balanced Iowa's budget and resisted raising taxes, but was willing to spend money on such priorities as education and health.

Ticking off some of his accomplishments, Vilsack said the state has the best air quality in the nation, the lowest dropout rate and the second best record for health insurance coverage.

He argued that pushing alternative energy sources is key to bolstering rural sections of the nation that are struggling economically and with vanishing populations.

"If you drive around Iowa today, you will see a changing landscape marked by new ethanol and biofuel production plants and wind farms," Vilsack said.

Promoting alternative energy sources is an issue with broad public appeal. It also has special appeal in some key early voting states, such as Nevada, with its abundant sunshine and geothermal resources.

A national poll last February by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press found overwhelming bipartisan support for promoting alternative energy, including 82 percent in favor of increased federal funding for alternative energy research.

Vilsack signaled a key element of his campaign will be his compelling personal story. Born in Pittsburgh, Vilsack was adopted and speaks often of his adoptive mother's struggle with alcoholism and his adoptive father's financial struggles.

"I began life in an orphanage in the hands of a stranger. I was adopted into a loving but troubled home," Vilsack said. "I know what it is like to feel alone and to feel as if you do not belong."

While Vilsack remains popular with Iowa Democrats, he doesn't start off as the favorite to win the state's leadoff caucuses. Other potential Democratic candidates are already at work in the state.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards was in Iowa Wednesday, and Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh (news, bio, voting record) is scheduled to visit next week. Other potential contenders include Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.

Among Republicans, Sen. John McCain (news, bio, voting record) of Arizona, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani are the most prominent.

Another hurdle for Vilsack is fundraising. Coming from a small population state and without a national money niche to call his own, it remains to be seen whether Vilsack can raise the $20 million political experts estimate he needs to have in hand by June.

Vilsack dismissed those shortcomings.

"I have always been the underdog and long shot," said Vilsack. "And I have always been inspired by stories of ordinary people who struggled, but ultimately succeeded."