'Unity candidate' Roberts says governor's race is 'wide open'

MARION -- Billing himself as the unity candidate, Rep. Rod Roberts said the “old models don't apply” in the June 8 primary election to determine the Republican candidate for governor.

“I can unite fiscal conservatives and social conservatives,” Roberts said in a Sunday afternoon campaign stop in Marion.

Roberts, who comes from the least Republicans-friendly legislative district in the state based on voter registration, said that unity is vital to the GOP defeating Gov. Chet Culver in November.

A Republican nominee with a unted party behind him can “cast a compelling conservative message in hopes of drawing large numbers of independents and conservative Democrats,” he said. “That's how you take Gov. Culver's base away from him.”

In Marion and earlier in Davenport, the Carroll Republican said Sunday a new statewide poll that puts him a distant third isn't accounting for a uniquely energized electorate and the potential for a sizeable influx of independents into the Republican primary Tuesday.

“I still believe today it's wide open. I don't think anybody can predict what happens,” he said. “This is the year of the people” and not necessarily the candidate with the most name identification or largest campaign treasury, he added.

The Des Moines Sunday Register poll found former Gov. Terry Branstad holds a healthy lead with 57 percent support. Next was Bob Vander Plaats, with 29 percent, and third was Roberts with 8 percent.

Even though he's in single digits in the survey, Roberts said his strength is being underestimated. He said the poll shows Branstad to be the frontrunner, but that newly energized Iowans tired of regular politics, as well as the ability to register to vote the same day as the primary, make this an election that's hard to predict.

Roberts' supporters weren't giving up, either. Karl Roberts, of Bettendorf, said he'll back Roberts because of his conservative values and his trustworthiness.

“I don't need to be on the winning side. I need to be on the right said,” said Roberts, who is no relation to the candidate.

Roberts the candidate is telling supporters if he's elected, he'll cut spending, push the elimination of the state's corporate income tax and change the culture of state regulatory agencies so they aren't “adversarial” with Iowa businesses but more supportive.

In Davenport he was applauded most loudly when he said he supports marriage between a man and and woman and that he is against abortion rights.

Roberts said if Republicans win control of the legislature, he believes they'll vote on the first day of the next session to approve a resolution calling for a public vote on whether to amend the state constitution to make marriage only between a man and woman.

Ed Tibbetts of the Quad Cities Times contributed to this story