Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds won't seek re-election in 2026

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday she will not seek re-election, a decision that means the Republican's time as governor will come to an end just shy of the 10-year mark after the 2026 election.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday she will not seek re-election, a decision that means the Republican's time as governor will come to an end just shy of the 10-year mark after the 2026 election.

"Serving as your governor has been the greatest honor of my life, an opportunity that not so long ago I never could have imagined," Reynolds said in a video posted to social media.

"After a lot of thought, prayer and conversations with my family, I have decided I will not seek re-election in 2026," she continued. "This wasn't an easy decision because I love this state and I love serving you."

Reynolds has been a fixture in Iowa Republican politics for years. She joined then-Republican gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad's ticket as his running mate during their successful 2010 campaign, and eventually stepped up from the lieutenant governorship to take over as governor when Branstad became President Donald Trump's ambassador to China in 2017.

She's won two elections at the top of the ticket since then, and she has championed conservative issues like school vouchers, curbing legal protections for transgender people, promoting abortion restrictions and cutting income taxes. More recently, she's pushed for a state version of the Department of Government Efficiency helmed by billionaire Elon Musk in Washington.