Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack emerges from the marathon 2005 legislative session with much of what he set out to accomplish five months ago, not the least of which is his top priority of expanding access to early-childhood education.

Vilsack's one obvious failure was his unsuccessful attempt to increase the cigarette tax, a setback observers say is minimal given the state's improving revenue picture.

But for the Democrat with an Iowa legacy and national profile taking shape, the Legislature's passage of key education, health care and economic proposals appear to be as beneficial to Vilsack as he would argue they are to the state.

"I think certainly this would be one of his most successful years, which was totally unpredictable, given the chance for political deadlock," said Stephen Gleason, Vilsack's chief of staff 2002 to 2004. "All of this is kind of a culmination of what he's worked on for years."

Aides say privately they would have declared victory had any one of the major policy initiatives Vilsack proposed in January been adopted in the Legislature, where House Republicans have a 51-49 advantage and the 50-member Senate is evenly split.