Branstad campaign tour to begin Jan. 19

UPDATE: Former Gov. Terry Branstad officially entered the race for the Republican nomination for governor Thursday, announcing via Twitter he'll make a 17-city tour of the state beginning Jan. 19 in Des Moines.

Branstad, a Boone Republican who served four four-year terms as governor from 1983-99, will continue his announcement tour through Jan. 22, according to a message posted at www.twitter.com/GovBranstad2010.

Cities he'll visit include Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Denison, Fairfield, Harlan, Mason City, Mount Pleasant, Muscatine, Orange City, Ottumwa, Pella, Sioux City, Spencer, Storm Lake and Waterloo.

Branstad retired as president of Des Moines University in November to explore running for governor. He has been meeting with Republicans and conservatives around the state, telling them he was just waiting until January to officially announce his candidacy.

In those visits he has talked about his conservative credentials, reminding Republicans being wooed by right wing gubernatorial hopefuls that he's “the most conservative governor Iowa has had in 40 years.”

While he was laying the groundwork for today's announcement, the GOP field has shrunk. Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton and Sen. Jerry Behn of Boone, have dropped out of the race to face Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in November.

However, Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll and Rep. Chris Rants of Sioux City continue to seek their party's nomination.

When elected, Branstad was the youngest governor in Iowa history; and, when he left office, he was Iowa's longest-serving governor.

On the national level, Branstad served as chairman of the National Governors Association in 1989. In 1997 he was chairman of the Republican Governors Association and the Governors Ethanol Coalition. From 1997-1998 he was chairman of the Education Commission of the United States.

After leaving the governor's office in 1999, Branstad established Branstad and Associates, L.C., located in West Des Moines, and became a partner in the firm of Kaufman, Patee, Branstad & Miller, a public policy firm based in Washington, D.C., with offices in West Des Moines, Denver, Boston, and Las Vegas. He was also a visiting professor at the University of Iowa for three semesters and taught a course titled "Leadership and Management in the Public Sector" through the Henry Tippie College of Business.