Rants drops bid for governor

DES MOINES – Republican Christopher Rants dropped out of the governor's race Thursday, making the announcement in a brief e-mail and a message on his Web site.

The state representative from Sioux City said in that message that he realized last fall his bid for governor had become a long shot.

“I continued out of a belief that campaigns should be about issues and ideas, and it was worth the effort to shape the public debate around issues that concern my supporters and me,” the message said. “It is now clear that those opportunities for such a debate are not materializing, and I cannot in good conscience accept or solicit support for an effort I know will be ultimately unsuccessful.”

Rants could not be reached by phone Thursday. His departure from the race sets up a three-man contest for the Republican nomination including former governor Terry Branstad, Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, and State Rep. Rod Roberts of Carroll.

Trouble raising money might have been one of the reasons for Rants' dropped bid.

A campaign finance report filed in January showed Rants had just $6,142 in cash on hand compared to Branstad, who reported more than $1.3 million in cash on hand in January. Vander Plaats had over $200,000, while Roberts had roughly $101,000 in cash on hand in January.

Democratic Gov. Chet Culver, who is seeking his second term, had over $2.5 million on hand for the campaign in the last report.

Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor from Iowa State University, said Rants had difficulty with name recognition among voters, despite his previous time as speaker of the Iowa House.

“If you go to a mall with a clipboard and you say to people, ‘who is Christopher Rants' … you're going to get very low name recognition because people just don't pay any attention to that,” Schmidt said.

Rants did not shy away from criticizing his rivals for governor, but they responded with complimentary statements about him after his announcement Thursday.

Branstad issued a statement calling Rants a “strong advocate for economic growth in Iowa.”

“His energy and enthusiasm are a benefit to the Republican Party and I hope that he continues to stay actively involved,” Branstad said.

In a statement, Roberts said Rants understood the challenges the state is facing.

“He should be applauded for his efforts in helping to make the campaign for the Republican Party's nomination for governor about the ways we should be dealing with these challenges,” Roberts said.

Vander Plaats praised Rants' service to the state.

“The primary campaign process benefited from his participation,” Vander Plaats said in a statement. “I would definitely consider bringing Christopher Rants' talent, expertise and experience into a Vander Plaats administration.”

Even Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan had kind words for Rants.

“I admire anyone who is willing to step forward into an election, to present their ideas and to debate,” Kiernan said in a statement. “Not all of the candidates in the Republican primary share those values like Rep. Rants did.”