Iowa's GOP governor opposes Ted Cruz. Will that matter?
Call it an anti-endorsement: Iowa鈥檚 GOP Gov. Terry Branstad says he hopes Ted Cruz loses the Iowa caucuses on Feb. 1.
Why is the top elected Republican in the Hawkeye State bashing a guy who鈥檚 currently near or at the top in polls of Iowa voters? Sen. Cruz (R) of Texas opposes continued federal government support of ethanol, that鈥檚 why.
Cruz is in favor of phasing out government requirements that gas sold in the United States contain a certain amount of ethanol. But ethanol is big business in the Midwest Corn Belt.
Cruz 鈥渉asn鈥檛 supported renewable fuels, and I think it would be a big mistake for Iowa to support him,鈥� said .
At issue here could be early momentum in the Republican presidential race. in polls of likely caucus attendees. This push from Branstad amounts to an endorsement of Trump, without mention of a name.
But there鈥檚 something at stake here for Branstad, too. The two-time governor鈥檚 own approval ratings have slipped somewhat in recent months. He might face further political damage if his effort to block Cruz fails, or backfires.
鈥淭wo Branstad allies swore to me recently he wouldn鈥檛 endorse. One reason: His #s have slipped considerably. Worth keeping in mind re Cruz,鈥� on Tuesday.
Did we mention that Branstad鈥檚 son Eric Branstad works for the pro-ethanol group, America鈥檚 Renewable Future?
And finally there鈥檚 the whole notion that local issues can predominate in US politics, even in national elections. The mere fact that Cruz is near the top in Iowa hints that this may not entirely be the case.
If ethanol is Iowa鈥檚 third rail, why hasn鈥檛 Cruz yet been shocked? His opposition to ethanol, rooted in his conservative opposition to government picking economic winners and losers, hasn鈥檛 been a secret.
Nor is Iowa the only state where this is happening. Both Cruz and ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush have proposed phasing out subsidies for sugar producers, major employers in Florida and some other southern agricultural states. The US Export-Import Bank has provided lots of financing for Boeing, which has a big presence in South Carolina, third in line in this year鈥檚 GOP voting. But virtually all the Republican hopefuls support abolishing the Ex-Im Bank, saying it鈥檚 a symbol of corporate welfare.
It鈥檚 possible that elections are just more national than they used to be. Debates, which center on national questions, are more popular in the 2016 election cycle than ever before. Plus, parties and voters are more ideologically polarized. That means US politics has split into distinct national party 鈥渂rands,鈥� pushing local variations into the background.
Of course, it鈥檚 also possible that Iowa voters just weren鈥檛 that aware of Cruz鈥檚 ethanol opposition. Maybe his support in the state will plummet. We鈥檒l all find out after the caucuses, now less than two weeks away.
