DES MOINES, IOWA (AP) -- With next year's general election nearing, Iowa's top two races are effectively frozen - one by a potential candidate who hasn't decided whether to run, the other by a promised candidate who hasn't decided whether to be named.

Republicans are waiting to see if former Gov. Terry Branstad will seek the office again after a 12-year absence.

And Democrats wonder who the mystery candidate is that party leaders assure them will give GOP Sen. Charles Grassley "the race of his life."

Some welcome the prospect of well-known, well-financed candidates running against the incumbents, but it's an annoyance to others who say it keeps activists from getting engaged in theraces.

But as Democratic strategist Matt Paul notes, "I don't hear anybody out there clamoring for a longer election season."

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