Hunter
04/14/25
With Friday’s announcement that she won’t seek a third term, speculation has already begun on who will run to replace Kim Reynolds as Iowa’s next governor.
KCCI TV reports Republicans have thrown out the possibility of Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02) or Rep. Zach Nunn (IA-03) to run for the open governor’s seat. Both Hinson and Nunn ousted Democratic incumbents to flip their respective U.S. House seats.
Attorney General Brenna Bird is another name that’s being floated. She was the first statewide elected official to endorse President Donald Trump. Others include Ag Secretary Mike Naig and former US Attorney General Matt Whitaker, the current ambassador to NATO. Former Republican state representative Brad Sherman already announced in February he was running.
On the Democratic side, Paul Dahl, a self-described progressive, announced in November he will run for the office. However, Dahl did not complete the requirements to be on the primary election ballots in 2014, 2018 or 2022. In 1994, he made the Democratic primary ballot in Iowa’s 5th Congressional District but earned just over 1,000 votes in losing that primary.
State Auditor Rob Sand is also considering a run. Republican Party Chair of Iowa Jeff Kaufmann said the Dems have a “shallow bench” to go to for gubernatorial candidates.