Six Term Iowa Governor Risks Popularity to Stop Cruz
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas campaigns at Penny's Diner in Missouri Valley, Iowa, Jan. 4, 2016. Photo credit: Nati Harnik/AP
Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz has worked the Iowa caucuses in the traditional way -- spoken to small church congregations, browsed local convenience stores and talked to folks at coffee shops and restaurants.
Recent polls show his commitment to the state has paid off. The most recent Bloomberg Politics/Des Moines Register survey reported Cruz having the support of 25 percent of those likely to attend the Republican caucuses on Feb. 1. That's three percentage points higher than Donald Trump, his biggest adversary.
Iowa voters seem to like him. But their governor doesn't.
On Tuesday at the Iowa Renewable Fuels Summit, Gov. Terry Branstad said he thinks it would be a mistake for Iowans to support Cruz and that he could be "very damaging" to the state, due to the candidate's staunch position against the Renewable Fuel Standard.
As the longest serving governor in U.S. history, Branstad's denunciation of Cruz marks the second time he has ever endorsed prior to the caucuses during his six terms as Iowa governor.
Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad speaks during the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Summit in 2014. Photo credit: Charlie Neibergall/AP
"This is quite unusual," said Dennis Goldford, a Drake University political science professor. "(Branstad) tends to stay apart from the divide of presidential politics and will usually support any Republican who wins the nomination. For him to argue against someone, that's quite remarkable."
The question then, lies in whether his comments about Cruz are remarkable enough to sway Iowa caucus voters.
On Tuesday, Branstad told CNN he predicted that Iowans will ultimately realize Cruz isn't in their best interest as they learn about his anti-renewable fuel standard.
But Cruz campaign spokesman Brian Phillips said Iowa voters already know what Cruz's positions are on the issues, including the ethanol mandate, and that conservatives around the state appreciate his consistent principals.
"His overall message is that he's a consistent conservative, and people are really responding to that. He is doing very well in the polls and his position on ethanol is well known," Phillips said. "People appreciate the fact that he's consistent in his principals and will do what he said he's going to do."
Goldford said that Cruz likely views the governor as "someone no different from the Washington cartel," more commonly known as the republican establishment.
"For Cruz, politics is more like religion. There are true believers and there are heretics," he said. "Whereas for Branstad, politics is about deal making and compromise. I would be surprised if the Cruz people thought that the Branstad rejection is a game changer."
Endorsements no longer strongly sweep people in a systemic or widespread way, according to Goldford. However, he added that something like Branstad speaking out against Cruz can affect voters on the margins, and in a close election those votes can make a difference.
Photo credit: Politico
-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.