Jim Nussle

James Allen Nussle (born June 27, 1960) is an American businessman and retired politician who has been president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union National Association from 2014 to 2024 and of its successor group America's Credit Unions since 2024. Nussle served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007 and was the Republican nominee for the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat Chet Culver. He was then appointed director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2007 by President George W. Bush, an office he retained until 2009.

Nussle was born in Des Moines, Iowa. After high school, Nussle studied in Denmark. He then received a B.A. in international studies, political science, and economics from Luther College in 1983, and a J.D. degree from Drake University in Des Moines in 1985. After graduation from Drake University law school, Nussle was elected as the Delaware County, Iowa attorney in Manchester.

In 1990, then 2nd congressional district representative, Tom Tauke, ran against Senator Tom Harkin. Nussle ran as the Republican candidate for Tauke's House seat against Eric Tabor and won.

In 1992, as a result of redistricting, Nussle's district was merged with the 3rd congressional district of Democrat David R. Nagle. Nussle defeated Nagle and won reelection.

Nussle's first exposure to national attention came when he made a speech from the well of the House while wearing a paper bag over his head to protest the "shameful" ethical behavior involved in the House banking scandal.

He became Chairman of the House Budget Committee in 2001, the first Iowan to serve as chair of the committee. His position brought national and international interest to his district, including the ONE Campaign, the lobbying group formed by Bono of the rock band U2. The group has targeted Nussle's district with billboard and radio ads. On March 23, 2006, they placed a statement in Nussle's article on English Wikipedia, regarding poverty in Africa and Nussle's budget influence, hoping to influence Nussle. The statement was quickly removed by editors as it violated English Wikipedia policies on maintaining a neutral point of view. On March 24, 2006, The Des Moines Register contained a story about this revision in which ONE confirmed that they had placed the statement.

Nussle's voting record was relatively conservative, despite representing a district with a slight Democratic lean. He had a lifetime rating of 85 from the American Conservative Union. His district has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1988. Typical conservative positions Nussle embraced are supporting restrictions on abortion and supporting President Bush's tax cuts. His district was renumbered as the 1st District as a result of the 2000s (decade) round of redistricting, and became even more Democratic with the addition of much of Iowa's share of the Quad Cities. However, Nussle was reelected handily in 2002 and 2004.

When Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack announced that he would not seek a third term in 2006, a number of people from both parties began exploring running for the governorship. That included Nussle, who began considering a run shortly after Vilsack made his announcement. On June 2, 2005, Nussle announced he would run for the position. His only serious primary challenger, Bob Vander Plaats, withdrew from the race to endorse Nussle and become his running mate.