Iowa Governor Blasts Rove, Warns Him To Stay Out Of Congressional Races

A Republican governor blasted Karl Rove, warning the fundraiser and PAC leader not to meddle in state and congressional races.

The blast came from Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, who said he doesn’t want Rove and his Super PAC near his state.

“I basically told Karl Rove that what he was doing is counter-productive and he needs to stay out of it,” Branstad told The Associated Press.

The governor’s blast of Karl Rove goes back to Rove’s poor performance in pushing candidates in 2012, The Associated Press noted:

“The push was prompted in part by the defeat of Republican Senate candidates Todd Akin in Missouri and Richard Mourdock in Indiana, who lost races the GOP expected to win. The two, who were backed by ultraconservative Tea Party groups, suffered after making controversial comments about rape, and their losses helped kill GOP chances of winning control of the Senate.

“The Rove-backed group is planning to raise money and run ads in primary election campaigns to help candidates seen as more attractive to general election voters. The effort is intended to counterbalance fundraising groups that boosted strong conservatives in primary races.”

Rove’s Super PACs also had terrible performances in 2012. Though he spent more than $300 million of Republican donor money, he saw little in return. An analysis from the Sunlight Foundation, a group that tracks political spending, found that his American Crossroads PAC had a success rate of just 1 percent on the $103 million it spent on attack ads, the worst performance of any outside group for return on investment in the 2012 election.

While the governor blasted Karl Rove, the former Bush adviser has also lost favor in media circles. A longtime contributor to Fox News, Rove stuck to predictions that Mitt Romney would win election in November despite polling evidence to the contrary.

This stubbornness peaked on election night, when Rove argued with the Fox experts on-air after they declared the race for Obama. The moment went viral after Rove’s mini-meltdown caused Fox to send a reporter to the back room, where the polling experts shot down Rove immediately.

It wasn’t just the governor who has blasted Rove. After the incident, he was widely ridiculed, even in Republican circles.