Breaking: Gov. Kim Reynolds Will Not Run for Reelection—Political Reactions Pour In Across Iowa
In a surprising announcement on April 11, 2025, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declared she will not seek reelection in 2026, concluding nearly a decade of leadership in the state's highest office.
A Decade of Service
Governor Reynolds, 65, ascended to the governorship in 2017 following the appointment of then-Governor Terry Branstad as U.S. Ambassador to China.
She was subsequently elected to full terms in 2018 and 2022, becoming Iowa's first female governor. Her political journey began in Clarke County, where she served as treasurer before moving on to the Iowa Senate in 2008 and later as lieutenant governor.
In a heartfelt video posted on social media, Reynolds stated, "Serving as your governor has been the greatest honor of my life—an opportunity that, not so long ago, I neve...