On July 19, 2016, The Washington Post reported that Vilsack was on Hillary Clinton's two-person shortlist to be her running mate for that year's presidential election.

[6] Vilsack is the second longest serving Secretary of Agriculture, only surpassed by fellow Iowan James "Tama Jim" Wilson.

Vilsack was born on December 13, 1950, in a Roman Catholic orphanage in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where his 23-year-old birth mother (a secretary) had lived since September 1950 under the pseudonym of "Gloria"; he was baptized as "Kenneth".

After the mayor of Mount Pleasant was gunned down in December 1986, Vilsack led a fundraising drive to build a memorial fountain.

[10] Following his election, he worked on legislation requiring companies who received state tax incentives to provide better pay and benefits.

[citation needed] He also wrote a bill to have the State of Iowa assume a 50% share of local county mental health costs.

Vilsack defeated former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Mark McCormick in the Democratic primary and chose Sally Pederson as his running mate.

After a special session of the Iowa General Assembly on September 7, 2004, $100 million in state money was set aside to honor previously made commitments.

Previously, convicted felons were disenfranchised, but could petition the governor to initiate a process, normally requiring six months, to restore their right to vote.

It imposed greater restrictions on products containing the active ingredient pseudoephedrine, requiring them to be sold behind pharmacy counters rather than via open-access.

Following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. City of New London in June 2005, Vilsack vetoed a bill to restrict Iowa's use of eminent domain, citing its potential for negative impact on job creation.

[19] In 2005, Vilsack established Heartland PAC, a political action committee aimed at electing Democratic governors.

Vilsack left office in 2007; he did not seek a third term and was succeeded by Secretary of State and fellow Democrat Chet Culver.

[citation needed] On November 30, 2006, Tom Vilsack became the second Democrat (after Mike Gravel) to officially announce intentions to run for the presidency in the 2008 election.

[22] On January 27, 2007, Vilsack called into the Regular Guys Show hosted by Kurt Hurner to conduct a 15‑minute interview on his running for the Democratic nomination for 2008.

He said U.S. withdrawal "may very well require them to go through some chaotic and very difficult times", but that he believed it the only way to force the Iraqi government to take control of the country.

[33] Months after the appointment, Vilsack forced her to resign based on accusations of considering race in the handling of her job responsibilities at a private advocacy firm in 1986.

[38] At a Drake University forum on climate change April 22, 2014, Vilsack stated "agriculture tends to take the brunt of criticism about climate change, but the industry contributes only 9 percent of the greenhouse gases blamed for a warming planet" and that while there were "challenges globally in terms of agriculture and its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions that's not necessarily the case in the United States.

[41] He was mentioned as a possible candidate for the United States Senate in 2020, for the seat currently held by Republican incumbent Joni Ernst,[42] but subsequently declined to run.

[46] The move was met by some with criticism from black farmers and progressives, because of Vilsack's perceived relationship with status quo and corporate agriculture.

[53] During his tenure, Vilsack announced that the USDA would leverage $100 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to expand America's meat processing capacity.

[54][55] In 2024, "more than $35 million in grants to 15 independent meat processors in 12 states to increase processing capacity, spur competition to expand market opportunities for U.S. farmers and create jobs in rural areas.

"[56] The USDA also made investments into state forestry departments across the nation to help "plant and maintain new trees to reduce extreme heat, benefit health and improve access to nature" for $1.25 billion & directed $930 million to reduce wildfires in western states, which was accomplished by clearing trees and underbrush in national forests.

"[59] Vilsack helped expand high speed internet across the nation, as part of a "$65 billion push for high-speed connectivity" from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

[60][61][62] Vilsack met his wife, Ann Christine "Christie" Bell, in a cafeteria while at Hamilton College in New York in October 1968.