Iowa Congressman Pushes Back Against Rove Group

Karl Rove’s endorsement was once seen as a gold-plated seal of approval for Republican political candidates. So how much is his scorn worth

Representative Steve King of Iowa, who is weighing whether he will be a Republican candidate for the state’s open Senate seat, is asking his supporters to contribute money to push back against efforts by Mr. Rove and other party strategists to keep him out of the race.

“Nobody can bully me out of running for the U.S. Senate â€" not even Karl Rove and his hefty war chest,” Mr. King said in a message on Thursday. He added, “Karl Rove and his army have launched a crusade against me.”

The letter from Mr. King is the latest ripple in the fallout from the creation of the Conservative Victory Project, a group fouded by Mr. Rove and the American Crossroads “super PAC,” to take an aggressive role in Republican primaries next year. Mr. King is one of the earliest targets of the project, which is seeking to recruit candidates seen by Republican leaders as more electable.

The project is being waged with last year’s Senate contests in mind, particularly the one in Missouri, where Representative Todd Akin’s comment that “legitimate rape” rarely causes pregnancy complicated Republican campaigns across the country.

Steven J. Law, the president of American Crossroads who is overseeing the Conservative Victory Project, cited Iowa as an example for why Republicans needed to intervene in primary fights.

“We’re concerned about Steve King’s Todd Akin problem,” Mr. Law said in an interview last week. “This is an examp! le of candidate discipline and how it would play in a general election. All of the things he’s said are going to be hung around his neck.”

Mr. King has compiled a record of incendiary statements during his time in Congress, including comparing illegal immigrants to dogs and likening Capitol Hill maintenance workers to “Stasi troops” after they were ordered to install environmentally friendly light bulbs.

But the comment from Mr. Law touched off a torrent of criticism from conservative activists, who pledged to fight efforts by the party’s establishment to become involved in primary races.

In the letter to supporters on Thursday, Mr. King asked for a donation of $25, $50, $100 or more, which he said would “help me ward off Karl Rove’s baseless attacks.”

No Republicans have formally announced their intentions to run for the seat, which is being vacated by Tom Harkin, a Democrt, but several prospective candidates are looking at the race, including Representative Tom Latham.

On the Democratic side, Representative Bruce Braley announced his intention on Thursday to open a campaign committee. In a message to supporters, he said: “If you’re willing to help me, I’m ready to go.”

The Iowa race is the first open Senate seat in the state since 1974. It will be among the races most closely watched as Republicans try to pick up six seats to win control of the majority.

Follow Jeff Zeleny on Twitter at @jeffzeleny.