Behn ends Iowa governor bid; backs Branstad

Another Republican candidate for governor has ended his 2010 bid.

State Sen. Jerry Behn, R-Boone, announced today he is dropping out of the race for his party's gubernatorial nomination and supporting former Gov. Terry Branstad's bid.

“My goal all along has been to replace Chet Culver,” Behn said in an interview.

“I believe now, more than ever, Iowa needs a chief executive who comprehends the enormous opportunity we have to reform state government. I put my full support behind the campaign of Gov. Branstad.”

Behn, who farms in rural Boone County, was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 1996. He joins fellow GOP Sen. Paul McKinley of Chariton and Cedar Rapids businessman Christian Fong in exiting the 2010 GOP field.

Branstad, Sioux City businessman Robert Vander Plaats and Reps. Chris Rants, R-Sioux City, and Rod Roberts, R-Carroll, remain Republican candidates seeking the GOP nomination next June to challenge first-term Democratic Gov. Chet Culver in the November 2010 election.