Chester John "Chet" Culver (born January 25, 1966) is the current governor of Iowa, having won the 2006 election. His assumption of office marks the first time that Democrats have simultaneously controlled both the executive and legislative branches of Iowa's state government since the 1965–1967 session of the Iowa General Assembly. Culver is also the first Democratic governor in Iowa since Nelson G. Kraschel in 1937 to be elected to succeed another Democrat. He was elected as the Federal Liaison for the Democratic Governors Association for 2008-2009. His father, John Culver, is a former U.S. Senator from Iowa.

Culver was born in Washington, D.C. He is a Presbyterian (where he has served as an elder) and is married to Mariclare Culver, who is Roman Catholic. Culver attended Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School in Bethesda, Maryland. He attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship and earned a B.A. in education in 1988. Later, he received an M.A. in teaching from Drake University in 1994.

After college, Culver moved to Iowa and worked as a staff member for the state Democratic Party. He worked with Bonnie Campbell on her 1990 campaign for state attorney general, serving as field director. Culver previously worked a lobbyist under the guidance of Campbell's husband. From 1991 to 1995, Culver worked as a consumer and environmental advocate in the attorney general's office. After completing his master's degree, he took a job as a teacher in Des Moines. Working first at Roosevelt, and then Hoover High School, he taught government and history. Culver coached sophomore football and eighth grade boys basketball during his tenure.