Paul McKinley

Senate Majority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, followed through on his promise Friday and dropped out of the 2010 campaign for governor.

McKinley said last month that when former Gov. Terry Branstad made his candidacy official, he would withdraw. While Branstad has yet to formally enter the race, he’s hired staff and begun holding campaign events, making McKinley’s departure inevitable.

In a press statement, McKinley said he plans to devote attention to winning back a Republican majority in the Iowa Senate.

“The actions taken by the Culver administration and the Democrats in the Legislature during the last three years have made it abundantly clear that Iowa needs new leadership and a new direction,” McKinley said. “I am confident that next November, Iowans will elect a Republican governor and add many more Republicans to the Legislature. With Republicans leading the way in Iowa, our state will finally get serious about curbing our out-of-control spending and higher taxes brought forth by Governor Culver and legislative Democrats, we will finally get serious about making it easier to create good jobs and we will give our citizens a greater voice in their own government.”

McKinley’s departure leaves six men battling it out for the GOP nomination to take on Gov. Chet Culver — Branstad, state Sen. Jerry Behn, businessman Christian Fong, former state House Speaker Chris Rants, state Rep. Rod Roberts, and businessman Bob Vander Plaats.

Iowa Independent first reported the presence on the official site of the highly partisan comments about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama several weeks ago.In the letter, Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Scott Brennan cites specific provisions in the Regulations on the Use of the Congressional Frank, which serves as a communications guidebook for Members of Congress.  Brennan states that King, a Kiron Republican, is in violation of two specific provisions listed under examples of “unfrankable” items, including:

No specific references to past or future campaigns or elections (are allowed), including election or re-election announcements and schedules of campaign related events.

Comments critical of policy or legislation should not be partisan, politicized or personalized.

Over the weekend, King publicly refused to take down his comments.

“Steve King is violating House ethics rules by promoting his political comments on his taxpayer-funded website,” Brennan said.  “King has refused to take responsibility for his abuse of government resources, so I am asking the Ethics Committee to take action.”

“Iowa’s taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for King’s hateful political commentary on the 2008 Presidential election,” Brennan added.  “King needs to stop breaking House ethics rules and take down these politically motivated remarks from his taxpayer-funded website.”

Democrats, who at this point have just raised the matter in a news release, are considering a formal challenge to King’s posting.

“Steve King is using his taxpayer-funded website to promote his hateful comments toward a Democratic Presidential candidate,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan. “King needs to stop doing his politicking from his government office and get back to the work he was elected to do. He very well may be in violation of House ethics rules by promoting politically charged comments on his congressional site.

“This kind of rhetoric is out of touch with the mainstream values of everyday Iowans, Brennan added. “It is time for King to take these inappropriate remarks off of his congressional website. Taxpaying Iowans deserve better.”