Governor Terry Branstad.
Iowa’s governor predicts Iowa voters will turn out in record numbers for this year’s election.
But Republican Governor Terry Branstad says it’s going to come down to the wire in the race between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama for Iowa’s six Electoral College votes.
“I don’t think this is going to be any landslide election. I think it’s going to be a close election,” Branstad says. “…A lot of the undecideds are just starting to tune in now. The partisans have long-since decided.”
Iowa is now among the seven states where the candidates will be spending their time — and their advertising money — in the closing 14 days of this year’s presidential contest.
“I don’t know that we can say for sure that, ‘As Iowa goes, so goes the nation,’ but obviously both sides know how important this is. The president’s going to be here Wednesday. Governor Romney’s going to be here Wednesday,” Branstad says.
“We’re one of the key battleground states and I think that Iowa could be the deciding factor.”
Branstad is nearing the end of his 18th year as Iowa’s governor and today during his weekly statehouse news conference Branstad turned political pundit, offering his predictions on the congressional races in Iowa.
Branstad argues fellow Republicans Steve King and Tom Latham will win their bids for reelection to congress. “In those two districts, I feel very confident for both King and Latham,” Branstad says.
“In eastern Iowa, you’ve got to say that Braley and Loebsack have the advantage, but you could see a surprise in one of those two districts.”
Democratic Congressmen Bruce Braley is in a rematch this year with Republican challenger Ben Lange and Dave Loebsack, the incumbent Democrat, faces GOP challenger John Archer.
AUDIO of Branstad’s news conference.