Branstad 'enthusiastically' endorses Romney

UPDATE: Citing “primary fatigue” and a need to unite Republicans, independents and disillusioned Democrats, Gov. Terry Branstad has “enthusiastically” endorsed Mitt Romney for president.

“Now, more than three months after the Iowa caucuses and after a vigorous campaign, the time has come to coalesce around one candidate,” Branstad said at a Statehouse news conference Tuesday.

Branstad picked Romney over his leading challenger, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum – who narrowly won the Jan. 3 Iowa caucuses – as well as former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Rep. Ron Paul.

Branstad's endorsement came shortly before Santorum announced he was suspending his campaign.

Although he had praise for all four candidates, Branstad said Romney matches up best against President Barack Obama.

“In Mitt Romney, America will have a clear contrast to Barack Obama,” Branstad said. Romney is committed to stopping “out-of-control federal spending that is increasing the national debt by $1.3 trillion a year” as well as “unleashing the private sector to create the jobs we need to rebuild the American economy.”

Responding to “Why now?” questions, Branstad explained he wanted to be a good host to the caucus contenders by remaining neutral.

“I purposefully withheld my endorsement until now, because I wanted my focus to be on uniting the Republican Party going into the fall,” he said Branstad.

With Romney's nomination “mathematically imminent,” Iowa State University political scientist Dianne Bystrom suggested Branstad is joining other party leaders, such as Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, to unite the party behind one candidate.

Besides, Branstad continued, the differences between the Republican candidates are small “compared to the totally different direction that we need to move this country from the direction it's been going – deeper in debt and an attitude that government, rather than the private sector, is what needs to grow our economy.”

Not endorsing ahead of the caucuses might have been the best strategy for Branstad, according to University of Iowa political scientist Tim Hagle.

“An elected official who puts his or her reputation behind a particular candidate can be embarrassed later if that candidate doesn't do well,” he said. Despite an early lead in the caucus campaign, Rick Santorum won the caucuses by about three dozen votes.

Linn County Democratic Chairwoman Diane Hoffmann was more blunt.

“Branstad's late endorsement shows how fractured Iowa's Republican Party is,” she said. “The governor could not afford an early endorsement for fear of a backlash from the Republican conservative base.”

Although his endorsement comes three months after the caucuses, it has importance, Hagle said. The campaign is at a critical point. Many party leaders and rank-and-file members see the race as being over and continuing it “is only serving to waste resources that will be needed for the general election.”

“That's another way for them to say, ‘Newt, Ron Paul, and Santorum, it's time to get out of the race,'” added ISU political scientist Steffen Schmidt.

Branstad said he plans to be “engaged” in the Romney campaign, especially in Iowa.

“I love to campaign,” Branstad said. “When I get engaged and involved in a campaign I want to give it my all and I want to make a difference. I want to campaign actively for Romney here in the state of Iowa. I want to help him carry this state. I know this is an important battleground state. I want to do all I can.”

The question is, said Drake University political scientist Dennis Goldford, is whether Branstad's endorsement would move an Iowan to vote for Romney if they weren't already be planning to vote for him.

That's “possible in a few cases, but not amounting to a significant impact overall,” Goldford said.

Branstad said Iowa Republicans are looking forward to the campaign.

“Republicans in Iowa are energized. One need only look at the surging Republican registrations to understand how motivated our party is heading into November,” he said. The party has gone from trailing Democrats in voter registration by 110,000 in 2008 to moving ahead of Democrats by a few thousand registered voters.

“Republicans are in a position to carry Iowa for just the second time since 1984, and we will not let this opportunity slip away,” Branstad said.