Branstad advises candidates to ‘come early, often’

DES MOINES - 'Come early and often,” Gov. Terry Branstad advised potential presidential candidates Monday.

The six-term Republican welcomed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio to the race for their parties' respective nominations.

He believes a number of GOP presidential hopefuls will match up well with Clinton, who is kicking off her campaign with a stop today in Monticello and Wednesday in Norwalk, if she ends up being the Democrats' 2016 nominee.

'If you look at recent polls, she's been dropping, and Republicans have been gaining,” Branstad said Monday, 'but it's a long way from now until Election Day.”

During that time, Branstad said, candidates would do well to follow what has proved to be a successful strategy for him and six-term GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley.

'Truly getting out in the state and hearing from - as Margaret Thatcher would say - real people is important, and it's a way to find out what concerns the average citizens have about what's going on in their states and in their country,” he said.

GOP caucus winners Mike Huckabee in 2008 and Rick Santorum in 2012 have proved that visiting Iowa's 99 counties and meeting face-to-face with Iowans in their communities to share 'your vision and plans for the future” is a successful strategy, Branstad said.

Rubio, Branstad said, has 'a very interesting background,” and he was 'very impressed” when the senator came to Iowa for the governor's 2012 annual birthday bash fundraiser.