Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad Thursday continued his criticism of GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz, but insisted that he wasn't speaking out against the Texas senator to boost Donald Trump's campaign.
Instead, he said at a breakfast hosted by
The Wall Street Journal, he weighed in on Cruz because the senator is "diametrically opposed" to many issues, including on ethanol, "that I think are really important to our state."
Branstad said he's not endorsing Trump, but once again praised him, saying the New York billionaire "has been able to effectively appeal to that concern, that our leaders have not been effective."
The Republican governor first complained about Cruz during the Iowa Renewable Fuel Summit last week, saying he hopes Cruz loses in his state because his position on renewable energy could be "disastrous" to his state.
Cruz wants the Renewable Fuel Standard, first passed in 2005 to require refineries to blend increasing amounts of ethanol and other fuel-based products into gasoline in the United States, which would be a blow to Iowa's corn-farming industry. Trump, though, supports the standard.
Before Branstad's comments last week, Cruz and Trump had been in a virtual tie in the state's polls, but since then Trump's lead has widened, including in a Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist poll released Thursday showing Trump at 32 percent over Cruz at 25 percent.
Branstad on Thursday said he does have concerns about some of Trump's more controversial remarks about Mexicans and Muslims, and he finds it "phenomenal" that his campaign has held up.
"Conventional wisdom would say any one of those things could be a death penalty for your campaign, and it hasn't been," he said. "People are sick and tired of political correctness, and they're impressed with someone who doesn't care who is offended by what he says."
He also pointed out that Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has her own issues, as she's under investigation over her private email server.
But he did criticize Trump for his boycott of Thursday night's GOP presidential debate in Des Moines over his dispute with Fox News and moderator Megyn Kelly.
"I certainly wouldn't advise not showing up for the last debate before the Iowa caucuses," Branstad said, adding that Trump's "unconventional campaign" has "surprised a lot of people in a lot of ways."
Retired Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who also attended the breakfast, commented on the Democratic side of the ticket, saying Bernie Sanders' growing poll numbers were unexpected.
"Everyone underestimated Bernie Sanders when he started, but I don't think Hillary [Clinton]could have done anything any different," said Harkin, who endorsed the former secretary of State last summer.