Grassley in demand, but maintains neutrality in Republican race

CEDAR RAPIDS - It's good to be the senior senator from the state where the presidential nomination process begins.

It can be hectic, too.

Sen. Chuck Grassley has been busy introducing Republican presidential candidates to his constituents.

Friday morning in Cedar Rapids, he praised Ohio Gov. and former U.S. Rep. John Kasich for his role in balancing the federal budget for the first time in years and paying down a half-trillion dollars on the national debt when Kasich was chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Then Grassley dashed off to Iowa City to introduce retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who Grassley said has a lot of common sense that is needed in Washington.

Later, he introduced Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Wilton.

Grassley's work wasn't done. Saturday, he introduced New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in Waterloo and Sunday, he joined former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee in West Des Moines.

Before Monday's caucuses, Grassley will have introduced most of the GOP hopefuls. While he hasn't endorsed anyone, his introductions can be enthusiastic.

He raised eyebrows - and questions about his neutrality pledge - when he used Donald Trump's signature campaign line that it's time 'to make America great again” when introducing the businessman at a Pella rally.

People read too much into that, he said.

'You can say I stole a line from Kasich when I said the American dream's not over,” Grassley said. 'I have everyone's main line and I intend to use that.”

Grassley doesn't deny that his willingness to introduce potential presidents is good for his own re-election this year. Christie, for instance, hosted a New Jersey fundraiser for the Republican Iowa senator. But it's not the only reason.

'Sen. Grassley's committed to doing everything he can to elect a Republican president this year,” said Jill Kozeny, Grassley's chief of staff. 'He wants to help unite Iowa Republicans so that the Republican nominee for president carries Iowa, a battleground state, in November.”

So he sent messages to the campaigns telling them he would remain neutral but would be available for introductions.

'I had nine or 10 take me up on it,” he said.

Unlike his longtime Senate colleague, Democrat Tom Harkin, who endorsed Vermont Gov. Howard Dean in 2004 and then-Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois in 2008, Grassley has remained mostly on the sidelines since being elected to Congress in 1974. He broke that tradition twice - once to endorse his friend, Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, and again when he backed Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

Grassley is not alone in choosing to remain neutral. Freshman GOP Sen. Joni Ernst has followed his lead, and GOP Gov. Terry Branstad refuses to endorse. Like Grassley, they have been making introductions.

Friday, at Wesleyan University in Mount Pleasant, Ernst introduced Carson., And Branstad has introduced Christie. Ernst also introduced Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who campaigned for her in 2014.

Grassley insisted his unwillingness to endorse is not a reflection on the Republican field.

'There are several candidates that I could endorse - I'm not going to name them - and I wouldn't want to say there are candidates I wouldn't endorse,” Grassley said Friday between the Kasich and Carson introductions. 'I just don't feel comfortable picking one over the other.”

He can't recall turning down any candidate's request for an introduction.

Grassley believes a strong presidential nominee helps him and other state and congressional candidates. He also pointed out that the only time a GOP president carried Iowa in the last five elections was in 2004 'when I was at the top of the ticket.”

'So I'm looking for my campaign fortifying a presidential campaign, and this is the start of this effort,” he said.

He believes there is one or more of the candidates who would help him and down-ballot candidate more than others, but he won't say which one.

Although he had made clear - repeatedly - that he will not endorse, that hasn't stopped people from asking. Before he announced his neutrality, he received requests for his endorsement.

'As recently as the last two weeks, I've had supporters in Iowa for three different candidates ask me to endorse their candidate,” Grassley said. He wouldn't say which candidates, 'but I want to tell you what I told them: ‘I said months ago I wasn't going to do any of that. I have a reputation to uphold.'”

Grassley, always the practical politician, conceded there's a reason for his open relationship with candidates.

'If I was endorsing somebody … if I endorsed candidate 14, the backers of 1 through 13 would get mad at me,” he said.

Ed Tibbetts of the Quad City Times contributed to this report.