I thought Governor Chet Culver was late to the party when he endorsed Barack Obama a month after the 2008 Iowa caucuses. At that time it was still unclear who would prevail in the Democratic primaries. In contrast, there’s no suspense left in this year’s GOP nominating process. Governor Terry Branstad finally declared today that Republicans should “coalesce around one candidate.”

Meanwhile, Rick Santorum is holding a press conference this afternoon to announce that he is ending his presidential campaign.

Rod Boshart covered Branstad’s endorsement:

“Today, I am enthusiastically endorsing Gov. Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president. In Mitt Romney, Americans will have a clear contrast with President Obama in November. Gov. Romney is committed to cut out-of-control spending, unleash the private sector to create jobs, and ensure that future generations have the opportunities we have enjoyed due to the American free enterprise system.

“There is a lot at stake in the upcoming election, and Republicans in Iowa are energized. One need only look at the surging Republican registrations to understand how motivated our party is heading into November. Republicans are in a position to carry Iowa for just the second time since 1984, and we will not let this opportunity slip away. Mitt Romney is going to be a strong general election contender, and I will work every day to unite Republicans and attract independents and disillusioned Democrats to elect a president who will restore the American dream and unite our nation.”

Branstad told reporters that he’s not interested in the vice presidency, adding that a President Romney would make him a more effective governor.

Romney was slightly ahead of Obama in the Des Moines Register’s Iowa poll conducted in February. Romney has slipped in nationwide polling since then, and I would love to see a fresh statewide survey of Iowa voters. Some conservative Republicans, such as talk radio host Steve Deace, are still not sold on Romney for president.

Santorum faced intense pressure to end his campaign and trailed Romney in a recent Pennsylvania poll. Losing his home state’s primary would be humiliating, and if I were advising Santorum, I’d tell him to drop out before Pennsylvanians vote on April 26. On the other hand, several conservative states are scheduled to hold primaries in May. Santorum had to be tempted to see whether Republican voters in North Carolina, West Virginia, Texas, Arkansas, and Kentucky would prefer him to Romney.

I’ll update this post later with excerpts from Santorum’s remarks.

Newt Gingrich has finally acknowledged that his own campaign is futile, but he’s not dropping out. He says he wants to influence the GOP platform. I love it when self-styled fiscal conservatives run up massive debts; Gingrich’s campaign is $4.5 million in the hole.

Any comments about the presidential race are welcome in this thread.