Rivals say Branstad announcement changes little

Making it official changes little, according to Terry Branstad's rivals for the Republican nomination for governor.

Branstad, Iowa's longest-serving governor, announced Tuesday that he will seek a fifth term. Billing his campaign as “Iowa's Comeback Tour,” Branstad said believes “Iowa is poised for a historic comeback.”

“Together we can bring Iowa back to the greatness we know we have in us,” Branstad, 63, told more than 100 supporters on hand at the State Historical Building in Des Moines to hear him kick off begin his campaign.

If his official entry into the race changes anything, said Rep. Chris Rants, R-Sioux City, it might mean Branstad will have to mix it up with the rest of the field of candidates - Rants, Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City and Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll.

“The only thing it might change is that he will get on stage with rest of us and participate in forums with the rest of us,” Rants said. “So far, that's been his excuse for not participating - that he's not officially a candidate.”

Branstad's long-expected entry into what is now a four-way race for the GOP nomination to face Democrat Gov. Chet Culver was a mere formality, Roberts said.

While Branstad supporters talk about his experience as governor for 16 years, Roberts senses an anti-incumbent mood and a desire for new faces.

“There is a significant bloc of Democrats, Republicans and independents that, depending on where they go, could make 2010 a very interesting year,” he said. “No one knows how this will break.”

The change voters seek, Branstad said, is a replacement for Culver and his overspending. He promised to restore fiscal responsibility in state government, create 200,000 new jobs, lift family income by 25 percent and provide children the best education in the country.

Before signing up for Branstad's comeback, however, Iowans might want to ask themselves whether the Branstad years were as good as the former governor makes them sound, said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan.

Iowa Democrats kicked off their “Terry vs. Terry” tour upstairs in the State Historical Building, highlighting what they call inconsistencies between Branstad's record as governor and his record as a gubernatorial hopeful.