Iowa Congressman Steve King announced today he will not jump into the Republican race for governor. King told Radio Iowa today that he looked at the issues facing the state and those facing the nation, and things like the nationalization of banks and auto companies have him worried.
King says in the process of that 700-billion has been put into the TARP funding and 787-billion has gone into the stimulus package and no one can point to it and say “this is what worked.” He says there’s also the cap and trade issue, health care reform and “comprehensive amnesty” for illegal aliens.
King says he came to the conclusion that “we have to get America right” as he says the cap and trade, health care and immigration issues are irrevocable once they get passed. King says he can be of better service as a member of congress than as a candidate for governor.
“If we get America right, we can get Iowa right. Even if we get Iowa right and don’t get America right, in the long run, it won’t make that much difference. So, the bottom line is, I’m compelled to move forward and to do my best to ask Iowans to be able to serve them in congress again,” King says. King says he will work with the Republican candidates to help win the governor’s seat.
King says he believes the Republican primary will lead to “a very legitimate conservative who will advocate for a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage, and bring this state’s budget back in balance, and turn us into a state that is business friendly again, so that we have jobs for our people.” King’s statement announcing his decision did not close the door completely as it says “barring unforeseeable and dramatic events,” he will not run for governor in 2010.
King says he put that in the statement because “sometimes things happen that you just can’t anticipate” so he put that in there just in case. But King says he can’t see anything now that would change his mind. King is from Kiron, and won a fourth term representing the 5th district last fall.