Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds made a surprising announcement on Friday. Kim Reynolds announced that she would not run for a third term as governor in 2026.
Reynolds, a Republican, has held this position since 2017, when former governor Terry Branstad was appointed ambassador for the United States to China. She was re-elected to two full terms in 2018 and 2022.
Reynolds stated in a social media video that “this wasn’t an easily made decision because I love my state, and I enjoy serving you.” “But when my term is over, I will have served as your governor for nearly 10 years.”
Reynolds announced that she was leaving her position after her family supported her for years, and now it’s “time for me to be here for them.” Kevin Reynolds was diagnosed with lung carcinoma in 2023. She said the cancer was in remission in her January condition of the State.
Reynolds was Iowa’s first woman governor. She began her political career as a treasurer for Clarke County, a rural county in south Iowa with fewer than 10,000 residents. She was first elected to the Iowa Senate before becoming Branstad’s running mate for the 2010 election. She was lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017
Iowa’s political landscape has changed dramatically since Reynolds arrived at the state capital in Des Moines. Iowa launched the presidential campaign of former president Barack Obama and supported him both in 2008 and 2012. Then, it backed Trump in 2016 and 2020.
Reynolds has had ample opportunities to promote her priorities, as Republicans are in control of both the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate.
She doesn’t shy away from national attention. Reynolds was the GOP’s response to Biden’s address to Congress in 2022, and she served as the chair of the Republican Governors Association for 2023.
She’s also enjoyed the spotlight of hosting the presidential primaries. In 2023, she made a big splash by breaking a tradition that Iowa governors stayed neutral in the race and breaking with Trump by endorsing the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
Reynolds has consistently emphasized the conservative policies Iowa already has adopted as Trump moves on with his federal agenda.
Reynolds celebrated her success in bringing school choice to Iowa. She signed into law, in 2023, the creation of public-funded educational savings accounts that can be used for private school tuition and other approved expenses.
The program, which is now available to all students in the following year, was used by more than 27,000 students in 2024-2025. Reynolds’ proposed budget for the accounts next year is $314 million.
To protect those born female, she supported policies that restrict transgender student’s use of restrooms and locker rooms and their participation in sports teams. To affirm these, she signed a bill into law this year to remove gender-identity protections from the civil rights code of the state.
Reynolds has also called for a special session of the legislature in the summer of 2023 since her last re-election. This will allow Republican legislators to pass legislation that would ban most abortions following six weeks of pregnancy. This law is in effect.
Iowa’s Republican leaders praised the governor after her announcement. Many highlighted her achievements in growing Iowa’s workforce and lowering tax rates.
In a recent statement, Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann stated, “Taxes are low, the cash reserves are full, and our freedoms are defended. Iowa’s future is brighter than ever before.”
A campaign committee for Reynolds took in $1.8 million in 2024 and had about $3 million cash on hand, according to campaign finance filings.
Brad Sherman, a former state representative and pastor who is a Republican, had announced his intention to run for governor even before Reynolds made her announcement on Friday.
Reynolds stated that she had “no doubt” that Iowa and the Republican Party would remain in good hands, noting that “strong conservative leadership will continue to serve Iowa.”
