Iowa Gov. Branstad Endorses Romney
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James Devaney/WireImage(DES MOINES, Iowa) — Iowa’s Republican Governor Terry Branstad has endorsed Mitt Romney for president, more than three months after his state held the first voting contest in the nation.
“I purposefully withheld my endorsement until now, because I wanted my focus to be on uniting the Republican Party going into the fall” Branstad explained. “Now, more than 3 months after the Iowa caucus, I believe the time has come to coalesce around one candidate.”
Branstad had kind words for each of the remaining GOP contenders, but in the end, he said, he believes Mitt Romney is the best candidate to take on Barack Obama.
“Mitt Romney is going to be a strong general election contender,” Branstad said.
Mitt Romney ultimately placed second in the Iowa caucus — after initially being declared the winner by an eight vote margin. Rick Santorum, who dropped out of the race Tuesday, was eventually declared the winner of the caucus.
Branstad was also asked during a question and answer session whether he thought he had a shot at joining the Romney ticket as VP. Branstad responded that he “wasn’t looking for anything.” He went on to explain that he “loves Iowa” and he wants to make a difference there.
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