National Journal - BVP 'no interest' in Independent Run

National Journal has a good overview piece on Iowa's Republican gubernatorial primary and the battle between Terry "Mitt Romney" Branstad and Bob "Mike Huckabee" Vander Plaats for control of the party's  destiny.

Within the piece, Vander Plaats, who questions whether Branstad is a "principled conservative," discusses whether he will support the GOP nominee if he fails to win:

Branstad has said he will support whoever wins the GOP nomination, but Vander Plaats is being coy. He says that his decision will depend on how the candidates treat one another in the primary and whether he thinks the victor can find a way to unite the party heading into the fall campaign. "Whoever wins the nomination needs to authentically earn the support of his peers," Vander Plaats said. He warns that "blind allegiances [to party] really play out in taking another candidate's base of support for granted, and I don't think any one of us can afford that."

Still, Vander Plaats says he has no interest in running as an independent if he doesn't clinch his party's nomination. "I really don't see what that does for our party, long-term," he explained.

True enough. Although I think the door is still open.

It's worth noting that essentially telling every centrist voter in Iowa who doesn't march in lockstep to your drum that you're a unprincipled "elitist" who isn't welcome may also be harmful to the party's future.

Speaking of damaging influences, The Iowa Family Policy Center's Danny Carroll likes the article, where he is quoted, and loves a chance to bash Branstad, Doug Gross and Joy Corning in a press release. This doesn't sound like a group of folks just willing to stay home if TB wins.

Be sure to

read the whole article. Lost of interesting stuff.