A Republican congressman from Michigan who’s mulling the idea of jumping into the presidential race is in Iowa this week, meeting with local officials and Tea Party activists. 

During an interview with Radio Iowa, Thaddeus McCotter said Republicans don’t seem entirely satisfied with the field of candidates who are running.”Or are they looking for something that’s relatively new that they haven’t heard of before? So I think if you want to look at it in kind of an interesting way, you could be very thankful that you’re not a particularly well-known quantity at this point in time because the ones they do know they don’t particularly have an ardor for at this point in time,” McCotter said. “And again, I’m not saying if I get in they’ll love me either, but if you don’t ask, you’ll never know. At least that was the approach I took with my wife when we were dating.” 

McCotter said his wife has told him he can run for president, although he jokes that his “honey do” list at his home in Michigan will get a little longer.

McCotter suggested the Republican race is unsettled, because of the “chaotic, uncertain” times in which we live.

“In past elections, Mitt Romney would have been our heir apparent. Republicans like to follow the tail on front of them with their trunks,” McCotter said.  “…For whatever reason he has not been able to inspire the electorate.  I think that he is, in many ways, trying to play it safe, believing that he’ll be the presumptive nominee and that becomes a very iffy proposition for those that are that presumptuous.”

McCotter recently plunked down $15,000 to put his name on the ballot at the Iowa Republican Party’s Straw Poll in August.   He will appear at an event in Ottumwa this evening as part of the Tea Party Bus Tour.