Editing Terry Branstad (section)

===First tenure (1983–1999)===
{{See also|1982 Iowa gubernatorial election|1986 Iowa gubernatorial election|1990 Iowa gubernatorial election|1994 Iowa gubernatorial election}}
[[File:Terry Branstad attends recommissioning ceremony for USS Iowa, Apr 28, 1984.JPEG|thumb|left|150px|Branstad attending the recommissioning ceremony for the {{USS|Iowa|BB-61|6}}, April 28, 1984]]
[[File:Bill Clinton with Terry Branstad.jpg|thumb|right|Branstad with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Bill Clinton]] in 1993]]
When he took office as governor at age 36, Branstad became the youngest chief executive in Iowa's history.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/local/kyle-munson/2015/12/14/iowa-governor-terry-branstad-longest-serving-in-america/76718090/|title=Landmark longevity: Branstad seals governor tenure record|newspaper=Des Moines Register|access-date=February 20, 2017|language=en}}</ref> Reelected in 1986, 1990, and 1994, he left office as Iowa's longest-serving governor. He served as Chairman of the [[National Governors Association]] in 1989–1990, and also was Chair of the [[Midwestern Governors Association]]. In 1997 he chaired the [[Education Commission of the States]], the [[Republican Governors Association]], and the Governors' Ethanol Coalition.

In 1983 Branstad vetoed a bill to establish a state lottery.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xFcrAAAAIBAJ&pg=4172,3050692&dq=terry+branstad&hl=en|title=Branstad Vetoes State Lottery |work=The Daily Record|date=June 1, 1983|access-date=July 19, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Branstad made [[Capital punishment in Iowa|reinstatement of the death penalty]] a central focus of his 1994 re-election campaign; however, despite successfully being re-elected, he was unable to implement this policy due to opposition from Democrats in the [[Iowa Senate|Iowa State Senate]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://globegazette.com/news/iowa/branstad-says-death-penalty-push-unlikely-in/article_2ca9f15a-42fd-11e2-afc3-0019bb2963f4.html|title=Branstad says death penalty push unlikely in 2013|date=10 Dec 2012|work=Mason City Globe Gazette|access-date=2019-05-10|language=en}}</ref>

Iowa's unemployment rate went from 8.5% when Branstad took office to a record low 2.5% by the time he left office in 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2000/feb/wk5/art03.htm|title=Iowa reports lowest unemployment rate in 1999 : The Economics Daily : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics|website=www.bls.gov|language=en-us|access-date=February 20, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.president.iastate.edu/archives/12/install/branstad|title=Gov. Terry Branstad {{!}} Office of the President|website=www.president.iastate.edu|language=en-us|access-date=February 20, 2017}}</ref> In his first year as governor, the state budget had a $90&nbsp;million deficit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AlwrAAAAIBAJ&pg=1709,2733262&dq=terry+branstad+budget&hl=en |title=The Daily Reporter – Google News Archive Search |access-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref> It took several years until the budget was balanced. Branstad said he did not have enough support in the [[Iowa Legislature|legislature]] to approve budget reforms until 1992. By 1999 Iowa had an unprecedented $900&nbsp;million budget surplus.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://governor.iowa.gov/about/ |title=About the Governor ★ Governor Branstad |publisher=Governor.iowa.gov |access-date=July 19, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://iowaindependent.com/37386/fact-check-culver-and-branstad-turn-hostile-over-budget-records |title=Fact Check: Culver and Branstad turn hostile over budget records |publisher=Iowa Independent |date=January 21, 2010 |access-date=July 19, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729084621/http://iowaindependent.com/37386/fact-check-culver-and-branstad-turn-hostile-over-budget-records |archive-date=July 29, 2012  }}</ref>