DES MOINES - If former Gov. Terry Branstad joins the crowded field seeking the Republican nomination for governor, he would bring name recognition and experience his opponents can't match. Even so, his opponents say they're ready to take him on.

Branstad was governor for 16 years and is well known by Iowans, but of the candidates vying for the GOP nod to run in 2010, only Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, of Chariton, said he'd drop out if Branstad joined the race to face Democratic Gov. Chet Culver.

''When he gets in, I will drop out,'' McKinley said.

More typical were comments by candidates such as Rep. Christopher Rants, a former state House speaker. He's noted that when Branstad occupied the governor's mansion, Terrace Hill, he supported some tax increases and used accounting methods that drew criticism.

''If we believe that fiscal mismanagement is one of the issues to push Culver out of Terrace Hill, I don't think Terry Branstad is the guy to make that argument,'' said Rants, who plans to stay in the race.

Rants, 42, said many Republicans have forgotten Branstad's very public battle with then-auditor Richard Johnson, who accused the governor of using phony accounting to cover a state budget deficit.

Rep. Rod Roberts also didn't seem worried by competition from the four-term governor, who left office in 1998.

''Republicans are very open-minded about all the candidates,'' said Roberts.

He said Branstad's delay in entering the race ''has bought me some valuable time, traveling the state and speaking as much as possible and the response has been very favorable.''

Roberts, 51, said he thinks many Iowans respect Branstad but aren't eager to turn again to the 62-year-old former governor.

''What I've encountered is people have a sense of once you've had an opportunity to serve, you kind of move on with your life,'' said Roberts, of Carroll. ''There's a moment now for someone new, perhaps someone younger and the rest of us are encouraged by this openness to, maybe it's time we look forward.''

Cedar Rapids businessman Christian Fong, 32, has said he is better placed to attract younger voters.

''My ability to win the next generation vote and the eastern Iowa independents, I believe are unmatched in the Republican field,'' said Fong.

Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, 46, said Branstad has for months been publicly flirting with the notion of running for governor, so his announcement that he'd quit his job to explore a political comeback didn't surprise those already in the race.

Although uncertainty about Branstad hasn't stopped most candidates, Vander Plaats said Branstad's entry could frame the debate about the party's direction, forcing it to decide whether to look toward the past or future. He also said Republicans would focus on Branstad's record on taxes.

''I'm running for governor to reduce the tax burden on Iowans instead of increasing it,'' said Vander Plaats.

Vander Plaats, who has strong support among religious conservatives, said he'd focus on issues such as Branstad's decision to sign into law pari-mutuel betting, the state lottery and expansion of casino gambling.

Sen. Jerry Behn of Boone, who is also exploring the potential of running, didn't return a telephone message regarding his candidacy.

Jeff Boeyink, who is heading Branstad's campaign exploration committee, said the former governor wasn't able to comment. Boeyink added that Branstad was happy to run on his record as governor.

''Some candidates may want to chip away at pieces and take other pieces out of context, but in the totality of his record, Gov. Branstad is ready to talk to people about that very aggressively,'' Boeyink said.

With the presence of at least four - and potentially five - candidates in the Republican field, the issue of reaching the 35 percent threshold in the June primary comes into play.

A candidate must get 35 percent of the vote to claim the nomination, and if no candidate reaches that level, the nominee will be picked by delegates to a state convention later in the month.

Those conventions are traditionally dominated by party conservatives, particularly social and religious conservatives.