King for Governor in 2010?

Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron) is the guest on the Valentine's Eve/Friday the 13th edition of Iowa Press.  The show was taped this evening at Iowa Public Television in Johnston and Des Moines Register columnist David Yepsen quizzed King about running for governor.

Yepsen: "Congressman, will you run for governor in 2010?"

King:  "You know, I don't know the answer to that. It's something that, you know, I have over the last few years worked across the state and I think I've said here on this program a couple of years ago my job was to stick the fifth district to the rest of Iowa so it doesn't become the eastern Nebraska district and I have a job today that I very much enjoy and I'm eager to start every day and I'm sorry to have to give up on each day and yet there's a duty for me, I think, it's a wonderful privilege to serve the people of this country and the state of Iowa, but I've made no decision, Dave."

Yepsen: "Is it safe to say you're thinking about it or keeping your options open?  How should we couch that?"

King:  "Well, I think we can say that it would be foolish to foreclose options and I think it'd be constructive for me, at this point, to say that our most important job right now is to bring together and reunify the Republican Party in this state and I think with the leadership in the Iowa House and Senate along with the new chairman in the party, we have the tools to do that and I want to continue to support that before we start competing against each other."

Yepsen:  "What about 2012 and beyond?  One of the political dynamics that's going to happen in our state is in 2010 there'll be a Census, in 2011 they redraw congressional district lines, Iowa will lose a member of congress, go down to four, so does that make it more likely that you'll run for something in 2012 as opposed to 2010?"

King:  "You know, it's something that I'll have to look at.  I really don't game it out that far.  I do think it's very important for us to come together and win back at least one majority in the House so we have a voice on the redistricting here in the state and I wouldn't necessarily concede that we lose a seat although the numbers point in that direction and most of the scholarship does so.  I want to count all the people, like the constitution says."

King was at the Iowa statehouse for much of the day.  He spoke at the midafternoon Prayer for Life rally.  Earlier in the afternoon he met privately with Republicans in the Iowa Senate, then he met with Republicans who serve in the Iowa House.  New Iowa GOP chair Matt Strawn was in the room during the meeting with House Republicans.