Senate leader edges toward Iowa governor run

McKinley, a 61-year-old retired manufacturing executive from Chariton, said he'll make a final decision in early fall but believes he'd have the backing of many activists if he opted to seek the GOP nomination in 2010.

"I've been very actively encouraged to run for governor," McKinley told The Associated Press. "I'm going to aggressively explore a run for governor."

If he runs, McKinley would enter what is becoming a large field of Republicans vying for the chance to oppose Culver. Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, former House Speaker Christopher Rants and Cedar Rapids businessman Christian Fong already have said they will seek the GOP nomination.

McKinley was elected to the Senate in 2000. He was elevated to his leadership post after Republicans took a pasting in the 2008 election, falling to a 32-18 minority in the Senate.