Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad had words of praise for the strength of Ron Paul’s organization in Iowa, but slammed the door on an endorsement that could lift one of the six Republican presidential hopefuls hunting for votes in the state’s lead-off Jan. 3 caucuses.

A nod from Branstad — a hugely popular Republican governor who served four terms and then came out of political retirement in 2010 to win an unprecedented fifth term ­— could thin the crowded field at the finish line.

Paul, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are jockeying for first place, and any one of them could win the caucuses, Branstad said with two weeks of campaigning left. 

“It’s a very wide-open race,” Branstad said. “It’s been volatile, with a lot of ups and downs, and it could change again before Jan. 3. It would be very difficult to predict a winner.”

Branstad told Patch last week that he would consider making an endorsement “if I became convinced one candidate was clearly the strongest candidate and has the best chance to win.”

Right now, pundits are watching Paul, who is surging ahead in some polls.

Likely Republican caucus-goers give the lead back to Paul, according to a new Iowa State University/Gazette/KCRG poll released Tuesday. Paul received 27.5 percent in the poll, while Gingrich came in a close second with 25.3 percent and Romney was third with 17.5 percent. 

Branstad said the Texas Congressman appeals to “anti-establishment” voters.

“A lot of people are upset with both parties,” Branstad said. “Ron Paul, with a consistent record of being against all the spending, has resonated with them." 

Branstad said that as he travels the state, he sees more yard signs and bumper stickers for Paul than for other candidates. A better measure of the strength of Paul’s organization may come from anti-Gingrich ads that Branstad said have been “pretty effective.”

Paul has myriad campaign stops set for today and Thursday in eastern Iowa before taking a break for Christmas, according to the Des Moines Register's candidate tracker.

Branstad said that if Paul wins Iowa, there’s some skepticism that he could continue that momentum beyond the Hawkeye state.

“A lot of people are questioning that,” he said. “He’s put a lot of time into Iowa ­— he got here early and came back often, and has gotten stronger, unlike others who have gone up and down. You’ve got to give him credit for that.”