Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack ended his bid for the 2008 Democratic Party presidential nomination today, citing difficulties in raising enough money to launch a viable campaign. Vilsack was the first democrat to officially enter the race last November.

Vilsack was polling at a distant 4th in his home state of Iowa for that state's Caucus next January, even though he left office as a popular governor with a job approval rating in the mid- to high 50s. Nationally, Vilsack was polling in the low single digits, behind even non-candidates like former Vice President Al Gore.

It will be interesting to see which Democratic candidate benefits from Vilsack's departure in Iowa; Vilsack was polling at around 10 percent. Vilsack is a centrist democrat who fought tax hikes as the governor of the Hawkeye state and who also deployed Iowa National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican last year to beef up border security at President George W. Bush's request.