Congressman Steve King ended months of speculation yesterday when he announced that he would not be a candidate for governor. King, a four-term congressman who represents Iowa’s 5th District, will instead continue to fight against the agenda which Speaker Pelosi and President Obama are perusing at a national level.

Congressman King recently was named one of the five most out-spoken critics of the Obama administration by U.S. News and World Report. King shares that distinction with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Minority Leader John Boehner, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor, and House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence. Obviously, King is in pretty good company.

In an interview with The Iowa Republican, Congressman King said, “If we can’t turn around things in our nation’s capitol, it will not matter what we do here in Iowa. Good candidates are stepping up to the governor’s race while I find myself well positioned to continue to effectively oppose the hard leftward lurch of the Pelosi Congress while working to refurbish the pillars of American exceptionalism.”

“Our nation is in even worse condition. Seven hundred billion dollars in TARP funding, $787 billion in stimulus spending; the nationalization of three large investment banks – AIG, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac;and Chrysler and General Motors all swallow up part of the free market system, all of which I have opposed and all of which could be reversed by the signature of the next president. But the passage in the House of “Cap and Trade” followed by a strong Obama effort to pass a national healthcare act while faced with the likelihood of an attempt to pass a comprehensive amnesty bill, all are permanent decisions that, in my estimation, can never be effectively reversed. America is on the brink of permanent transformation into the abyss far to the left of liberalism,” King added.

Congressman King said he gave some serious thought to running for governor, and stated that the fiscal mismanagement of the state under Governor Culver and the need to pass a constitutional amendment to define marriage pushed him closer to seeking the Republican nomination.

Instead of being a candidate for governor, King committed to do whatever he can to help elect whoever wins the Republican primary next June. However, King doesn’t want to wait until next June to start shaping an agenda for Iowa. He told The Iowa Republican he will work with GOP gubernatorial candidates now in creating a conservative agenda for Iowa.

Part of the agenda that King wants to implement is tax reform. He wants to see Iowa become more competitive with its neighbors when it comes to tax rates. He believes Iowa is at a disadvantage when it comes to corporate property taxes, personal income taxes, sales taxes, and personal property taxes. King said that Iowa shouldn’t just strive to be competitive with its neighbors, but we should work tirelessly to get below the national average.

According to King, the reason for the high tax rates in Iowa is that our state government is simply too big. King said, “Not only do we need to have competitive tax rates with our neighbors that are below the national average, but the size of our state government is weighing us down, and the burden that Iowa taxpayers are forced to pay is greater than that in neighboring states. “

One area that King thinks is long overdue for reform is the state’s welfare system. King said, “Iowa’s welfare benefits are the best in the region, which has made the state a magnet for out-of-state welfare recipients. Iowa needs to do the things that will attract productive citizens to make Iowa home, not the unproductive [citizens].”

King warned that defeating Governor Culver will be no easy task. He also told the Iowa Republican that the current field of six primary candidates is too big, which can create a lot of different factions within the Party.

Congressman King also noted that it is difficult to predict how Iowans will vote on Election Day next year, but he did say that the lack of leadership from the Governor’s office will be the defining issue in the race. King believes that Governor Culver’s greatest weakness is either 1) that he isn’t known for anything, or, 2) that what he is known for is an embarrassing record, which he created for himself during his first term in office.

The decision not to run for Governor was a difficult one for King. He said that half of his constituents urged him to run for governor, while the other half wanted to keep his voice in Washington. In the end, King decided the best place for him is in our nation’s capitol speaking out against Speaker Pelosi and President Obama.