Des Moines, Iowa ? Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., huddled with activists and lawmakers Tuesday, touting his regional appeal in a state where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating season.

“Historically, that’s been a significant advantage,” said Brownback during a one-day visit in Iowa.

“It’s exploratory, assessing the issues and possibilities,” said Brownback, who is pondering a bid for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008.

“The country is very comfortable with the kind of Midwestern sensibilities and Midwestern style,” Brownback said. “It’s solid, but not in your face.”

It’s the second trip to Iowa for Brownback, who last year helped raise money for the Iowa Family Policy Center, a conservative think tank run by former state legislator Chuck Hurley. Hurley accompanied Brownback around the state, putting him in touch with key GOP activists.

Brownback, 48, said his background would let him bring agricultural issues to the race, issues that aren’t discussed much in presidential campaigns.

“Being from next door, I push a lot of the rural agricultural issues,” Brownback said.

Brownback was elected to the Senate in 1996 to fill the seat left open when Bob Dole ran for president. Brownback was re-elected in 1998 and 2004.

Brownback said only a cursory reading of history shows that being from near Iowa is a big asset in the state’s first-in-the-nation precinct caucuses. He noted that Dole twice won the caucuses when he sought the GOP nomination, carrying the caucuses in 1988 and 1996.

On the Democratic side, Minnesota’s Walter Mondale won the caucuses in 1984, and Missouri Dick Gephardt won in 1988.

Brownback indicated he could begin realistically assessing the race early next year.

“That’s subject to change and that’s subject to competitive forces as well,” he said.

“My wife and I haven’t had the final conversation, so you would definitely put it in that category (exploratory) until we sit down and talk,” Brownback said. “I’m not in a big hurry about that, maybe I should be.”