Tea Party Favorite Opts Out of Iowa Senate Race

U.S. Rep. Steve King of Iowa, a favorite of the Tea Party crowd, tweeted a message to supporters Friday evening saying that he has decided not to seek the seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in 2014.

“I will not run for Senate in 2014,” King told his followers on Twitter.  “A Senate race takes me out of urgent battles in Congress that can’t wait until 2015.  Many thanks to all.”

King’s name had immediately surfaced as a potential U.S. Senate candidate when the 73-year-old Harkin — one of the Senate’s most liberal members — announced his retirement in late January.

Regarded as one of the most conservative — not to mention zany — members of the U.S. House, the controversial six-term congressman is the second Republican to shy away from the race in the past two days and the third in the past two weeks.

On Thursday, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey took his name out of consideration, joining Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who announced on April 23 that she wouldn’t be a candidate for Harkin’s Senate seat.

A close ally of Gov. Terry Branstad, the 53-year-old Reynolds is widely regarded as next in line for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination when Branstad — the longest-serving governor in Iowa history — leaves office.

King’s decision to opt out of the race leaves the GOP momentarily without a well-known candidate in the race, although several other Republicans are reportedly looking at the race, including Secretary of State Matt Schultz, former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker, state Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak and David Young, chief of staff to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and a 17-year veteran of Capitol Hill.

Mark Jacobs, a former CEO of Reliant Energy who currently heads an Iowa-based education advocacy group, and nationally-syndicated conservative radio talk show host Steve Deace are also reportedly weighing bids for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is currently the only declared Democratic candidate in the race.

A four-term member of the U.S. House from Waterloo, Braley has already raised more than $1 million since announcing his candidacy for Harkin’s seat in February.

Widely regarded as a prohibitive favorite for the Democratic nomination, the 55-year-old Braley has already received the blessing of retiring Sen. Harkin and enjoys the support of at least fourteen labor organizations, including that of the United Steelworkers District 11, which endorsed his candidacy on Friday.