King won’t run for governor in 2010
Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King has a longstanding practice of giving lengthy weekly interviews with Sioux City radio host Randy Renshaw of KSCJ. This morning Republican King used that venue to confirm he wouldn’t run for governor in 2010. The guess here had been that King would not pursue the state’s executive position, although he’s had an eye on it for many years.
Three days ago in his town hall meeting at Western Iowa Tech Community College, a supporter asked King to please use the opportunity to announce he’d run for governor. King laughingly declined. And now he’s more officially put the nail in that gubernatorial coffin. For 2010, that is.
If the large field of Republican challengers don’t advance a candidate who can take out Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in 15 months, King might see a better opportunity in 2014, when Terry Branstad wouldn’t be in the field and Culver might move onto other elective office. Perhaps U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin won’t run for re-election in that year and Culver will get an itch for D.C.
ADD AT 9:40 A.M. — King now has a release on his decision not to run for Iowa governor. Long story short, the federal government is worse off than the state of Iowa. Here’s the release in entirety:
“Iowa is drowning in a pool of nearly a billion dollars of red ink. Seven activist supreme court judges have defied the will of Iowans while our state’s taxes and regulations swallow so much production Iowa is at a competitive disadvantage in the Midwest and nationally. We are a rich state with poor leadership. Iowa needs a competent governor who will stick to principle and put us back on a prosperous and family friendly path.
Our nation is in even worse condition. Seven hundred billion in TARP funding, $787 billion in stimulus spending, the nationalization of three large investment banks, AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Chrysler and General Motors all swallow up part of the free market system. All of which I have opposed and all of which could be reversed by the signature of the next president.
But the passage in the House of “Cap and Trade” followed by a strong Obama effort to pass a national healthcare act while faced with the likelihood of an attempt to pass a comprehensive amnesty bill, all are permanent decisions that, in my estimation, can never be effectively reversed. America is on the brink of permanent transformation into the abyss far to the left of liberalism.
It is always a profound honor to serve Iowans in any capacity. A sense of duty and of urgency is calling many leaders into public service. Good candidates are stepping up to the governor’s race while I find myself well positioned to continue to effectively oppose the hard leftward lurch of the Pelosi Congress while working to refurbish the pillars of American Exceptionalism. I have decided I can be of better service as a Member of Congress than as a candidate for governor and, barring unforeseeable and dramatic events, I will not be a candidate for governor in 2010.”
Tags: chet culver, iowa governor, politics, Steve King, terry branstad, tom harkin
November 2nd, 2009 at 3:03 pm
[...] With GOP people like Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, Mitt Romney and others taking top mentions in early 2009, I forgot about King as a possible presidential candidate. The speculation was whether this would be the year King ran for governor, which he ultimately did not pursue. [...]