Reynolds Won't Run Again in Iowa

In a surprise announcement Friday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she will not seek a third term in office in 2026. Reynolds, a Republican, has held the position since 2017, when then-Gov. Terry Branstad was appointed US ambassador to China. She was elected to full terms in 2018 and 2022. "This wasn't an easy decision, because I love this state and I love serving you," Reynolds said in a video posted on social media, the AP reports. "But, when my term ends, I will have had the privilege of serving as your governor for almost 10 years."

Reynolds said that her family has supporting her political career for years and that now "it's time for me to be there for them." Her husband, Kevin Reynolds, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023. In her condition of the state in January, she said his cancer remained in remission. Reynolds, who got her start in politics as treasurer in Clarke County in southern Iowa, was the state's first female governor. She was elected to the state Senate in 2008 before becoming Branstad's running mate in the 2010 election. She was lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017.

Republicans have been in the majority in both the Iowa House and Senate since 2017 and have been steadily increasing those majorities under Reynolds' leadership, giving her ample opportunity to advance her priorities. As for accomplishments, per the AP, she has cited:

• Her work on school choice. Reynolds signed into law in 2023 the creation of publicly funded educational savings accounts for students' private school tuition or other approved expenses. More than 27,000 students used the program in the current school year, which becomes available to any student in the coming year. Reynolds' proposed budget line for the accounts next year reached $314 million.
• Policies to restrict transgender students' use of bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation on sports teams. This year, Reynolds signed into law a bill to remove gender identity protections from the state civil rights code.
• A ban on most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. Reynolds called a rare special legislative session in summer 2023 to give Republican lawmakers an opportunity to pass the prohibition. The law is now in effect.

(More Kim Reynolds stories.)