Branstad to candidates: skipping Iowa risky

DES MOINES - 'You skip Iowa at your own peril.”

That is the warning Iowa's Republican governor delivered this weekend to anyone who plans to seek the party's nomination for president in 2016.

Terry Branstad, addressing the media Saturday during a GOP cattle call event that brought roughly a dozen potential presidential candidates to Iowa, encouraged White House hopefuls to visit the first-in-the-nation caucus state early and often.

He also recommended any such candidate should think twice about trying to campaign lightly in Iowa or skip it altogether.

'I do think it's important to come here. I think it's important to meet with the people of Iowa,” Branstad said. 'This is one of the battleground states that's going to, I think, determine who's going to be the next president of the United States. I don't think it's wise to skip Iowa.”

And it's not good enough to just pop in, Branstad said. He said Iowa voters are judicious, and he recommended candidates take after himself and U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in visiting each of the state's 99 counties.

'Iowans are thoughtful people who are not going to make up their mind right away. They probably want to see a candidate three or four times before they make a decision,” Branstad said. 'Sen. Grassley and I and (Lt. Gov.) Kim Reynolds and (new U.S. Sen.) Joni Ernst probably spoil them by going to every county every year. But that's the way they expect their political leaders, to be humble and hard-working. So, we're hopeful that the candidates will take that very seriously.”

Of the top Republicans who are considering a run for president, only a few did not attend Saturday's 'Freedom Summit” hosted by U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa and the conservative political action group Citizens United. But they were some of the biggest names, including Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney and Rand Paul.

Of those three, only Bush has not had an extensive presence in Iowa in recent years. Romney was the party's nominee in 2012 and also was a candidate in 2008; Paul has been in Iowa multiple times since 2012.

Iowa GOP state chairman Jeff Kaufmann told reporters this weekend that he has spoken with Bush, and the party leader believes that if Bush opts to run, he will campaign in Iowa.

A few of Saturday's speakers gave assurances they would return. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said in his speech that he will come back to Iowa 'many more times,” and Donald Trump said that if he runs he will come to Iowa 'frequently.”

Branstad said it's not necessarily important to win the Iowa caucuses, the kickoff to the GOP's presidential nominee selection process. But he said it is important to campaign here and fare well in the caucuses.

'We have an old saying that you don't necessarily have to win Iowa, but it would be nice to come in the top three. There's essentially three tickets out of here to New Hampshire (which hosts the next primary election),” Branstad said. 'So, it's important to come (to Iowa) and participate and compete.”