In One Race, Out of Another
Between now and Independence Day, as we’ve noted before, there will be a lot of dominoes falling in Iowa politics.
The first to fall was Gov. Kim Reynolds making the surprising decision to not seek re-election next year. The job only opens up once in a generation, so lots of folks are taking a look.
Former state representative Brad Sherman was already in the race, thinking he’d be opposing Reynolds. Now U.S. Congressman Randy Feenstra is exploring a run, right down to a flurry of radio and TV ads. Given that he has already represented half the counties in the state, since his district is not only large but has changed makeup over time, the ads reintroduce him to a familiar audience in part, and introduce him on his terms to the rest.
Lots of attention still focused on Attorney General Brenna Bird, who was a strong supporter of President Trump in the 2024 cycle. One has to think if she is serious about a run for governor, she’s working on a concurrent endorsement from Trump. No actual word yet beyond what she told me on KXEL…she plans to be a candidate in 2026, and is evaluating which office to seek.
Another state office holder who told me the same thing is Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig…but now his decision has been made, as he announced yesterday he will seek re-election as ag secretary, foregoing a possible run for governor or anything else.
So in addition to seeing what Bird does, attention is now focused post-legislative session on folks like Speaker Pat Grassley, Representative Bobby Kaufmann, and Senator Mike Bousselot, who formed an exploratory committee while the chamber was still in session.
Guessing that the Memorial Day weekend will be a time of further decision-making…because the summer festival parade season starts soon after, and no self-respecting politician will miss out on that chance to connect with voters directly.
