WASHINGTON (MEDIA GENERAL) – Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) said he received a phone call over the weekend from “a person that’s well-known in Iowa” asking him to back a particular candidate.
Sen. Grassley, however, says he won’t endorse someone in the caucus, saying it will hurt his credibility.
“I’ve told all these candidates as long as eight months ago that I wasn’t going to get involved,” he said Monday. “I’ve told them I wasn’t going to back anybody. I think I’m a person who has a great deal of credibility. My word is good.”
Sen. Grassley continued, “I think it would hurt my credibility if I were to step out for that person or any other person right now.”
The Republican senator has endorsed candidates in the past. He supported Bob Dole in 1996 and former President George W. Bush in 2000.
Grassley has represented the state in Congress since 1975. His endorsement was given a great deal of credit for Dole’s success in the Iowa caucus.
Grassley would not go into who called him over the weekend, only describing the person as a social conservative.