| Christie Vilsack | |
|---|---|
| First Lady of Iowa | |
| In office January 15, 1999 – January 12, 2007 |
|
| Preceded by | Chris Branstad |
| Succeeded by | Mariclare Culver |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1950 (age 61–62) Mount Pleasant, Iowa |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Tom Vilsack |
| Children | two |
| Alma mater | Kirkland College University of Iowa |
Christie 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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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]
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]
In 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.
In 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]
Christie Vilsack is married to Secretary of Agriculture and former Governor of Iowa Tom Vilsack. They have two adult children.[3]