Kim Reynolds

Kim Reynolds
Born	Kimberly Kay Strawn 4 8, 1959
Birthplace	St. Charles, Iowa, U.S.
Nationality	American
Occupation	Politician
Title	43rd Governor of Iowa
Known for	First female Governor of Iowa
Education	Iowa State University (BLS)
Children	3
Website	[Official website Official site]

Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn; born August 4, 1959) is an American politician who has served as the 43rd governor of Iowa since May 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Reynolds is the first woman to hold the office of governor in Iowa's history. Her path to the governorship traced through local government, the Iowa Senate, and more than six years as lieutenant governor under Terry Branstad. Reynolds assumed the governorship when Branstad resigned to become the United States Ambassador to China. She won election to a full term in 2018 and was reelected in 2022. During her tenure, she has signed legislation on a range of issues including educational vouchers, voting rights restoration for felons, Second Amendment rights, and a six-week abortion ban. Reynolds chaired the Republican Governors Association from November 2022 to December 2023 and delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's 2022 State of the Union Address. On April 11, 2025, Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection in 2026.

Early Life

Kimberly Kay Strawn was born on August 4, 1959, in St. Charles, Iowa, a small community in Clarke County in southern Iowa. She grew up in a rural Iowa setting, which would later inform her political focus on agricultural and rural policy issues. Reynolds has spoken publicly about her roots in Clarke County and the values she attributes to growing up in a small-town Iowa environment.

Reynolds entered local civic life at a relatively young age. In 1994, she was elected as the Clarke County treasurer, a position she held for four consecutive terms. Her long tenure in that county-level office provided her with administrative experience and a local political profile that would serve as a foundation for her subsequent career in state politics.

Education

Reynolds attended multiple institutions of higher education over the course of her life. She studied at Northwest Missouri State University and Upper Iowa University before ultimately completing her degree at Iowa State University, where she earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) degree in December 2016—while serving as lieutenant governor of Iowa. Her completion of a bachelor's degree while holding statewide office drew media attention and public interest. Reynolds has discussed her nontraditional educational path publicly, noting the challenges of balancing academic work with the demands of public service.

Career

Clarke County Treasurer

Reynolds began her career in elected office in 1994, when she was elected treasurer of Clarke County, Iowa. She served in that capacity for four terms, spanning from 1994 until she moved on to the Iowa Senate in 2009. As county treasurer, she managed the county's finances and gained experience in local government operations.

Iowa Senate

In 2009, Reynolds was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Iowa Senate, representing the 48th district. She succeeded Jeff Angelo in the seat. During her partial term in the Iowa Senate, which lasted from January 11, 2009, to January 2, 2011, Reynolds established herself within the Republican legislative caucus. Her successor in the Iowa Senate seat was Joni Ernst, who would later go on to become a United States Senator.

During her time in the Senate, Reynolds endorsed a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Iowa, following the Iowa Supreme Court's 2009 ruling in Varnum v. Brien that legalized same-sex marriage in the state.

Lieutenant Governor of Iowa

Reynolds was elected as the 46th lieutenant governor of Iowa in 2010, running on a ticket with Terry Branstad, who was seeking to reclaim the governor's office. She took office on January 14, 2011, succeeding Democrat Patty Judge.

Reynolds served as lieutenant governor from 2011 to 2017. In this role, she chaired the STEM Advisory Council and worked on workforce development and economic initiatives. In 2015, she was named chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association (NLGA), serving in that position until 2016.

During her time as lieutenant governor, Reynolds was widely seen as a candidate for higher office. Her role as Branstad's governing partner positioned her to become governor should the office become vacant.

Governor of Iowa

Accession to the Governorship

On May 24, 2017, Reynolds was sworn in as the 43rd governor of Iowa, becoming the first woman to hold the office in the state's history. She assumed the governorship following the resignation of Terry Branstad, who left to serve as the United States Ambassador to China under President Donald Trump. Upon becoming governor, Reynolds appointed Adam Gregg as acting lieutenant governor.

First Full Term (2019–2023)

Reynolds won election to a full term as governor in 2018, defeating Democratic nominee Fred Hubbell. During the campaign, trade tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on key agricultural products became a significant issue in Iowa, given the state's dependence on agricultural exports, particularly pork and soybeans. Reynolds expressed confidence that President Trump would work to mitigate the impact on Iowa farmers. Reynolds and Hubbell also sparred over issues including sexual harassment policy and tariffs during the campaign.

Abortion Legislation

In May 2018, Reynolds signed into law one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States at the time, a so-called "fetal heartbeat" bill that effectively banned abortion after approximately six weeks of pregnancy. In January 2019, a state court ruled the law unconstitutional under the Iowa Constitution. However, in 2023, following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Reynolds signed a six-week abortion ban into law once again.

Same-Sex Marriage

During the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Reynolds's position on same-sex marriage received scrutiny. When asked whether she would pursue repeal of same-sex marriage in Iowa, Reynolds indicated she would not actively seek to overturn the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling, even as some members of the Iowa Republican Party continued to advocate for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.

Energy Policy

As governor, Reynolds made changes to energy efficiency programs in the state. She pursued reductions in energy efficiency mandates, framing the changes as a matter of achieving balance between regulatory requirements and economic considerations.

COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Reynolds's handling of the public health crisis drew significant criticism and resulted in poor approval ratings. She was noted for resisting statewide mask mandates and for taking a less restrictive approach compared to many other governors. The pandemic response became a defining issue of her first full term.

Second Full Term (2023–present)

Reynolds won reelection in 2022, securing a second full term as governor. During and after the 2022 campaign, she took on a more prominent role in national Republican politics.

Republican Governors Association

In November 2022, Reynolds was elected chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA), succeeding Doug Ducey and Pete Ricketts. She served in this leadership role until December 2023, when she was succeeded by Bill Lee of Tennessee.

State of the Union Response

In February 2022, Reynolds delivered the official Republican response to President Joe Biden's State of the Union Address, a high-profile platform that elevated her national visibility within the party.

Education Policy

A major policy initiative of Reynolds's second term was the enactment of educational voucher legislation. Reynolds signed into law a program providing public funding for students to attend private schools, a policy that generated substantial debate in Iowa. She continued to advocate for education funding, and as of February 2026, Republican legislators in the Iowa Senate passed a K-12 funding bill providing a 2% increase that awaited her signature.

Transgender Rights Legislation

In 2025, Reynolds signed legislation repealing anti-discrimination protections for transgender people in Iowa, a measure that drew both support from social conservatives and criticism from civil rights organizations.

Voting Rights

Reynolds signed legislation restoring voting rights for individuals who had completed felony sentences, a bipartisan issue that received support from both Republicans and Democrats, though the specifics of the legislation generated debate.

Second Amendment

Reynolds also signed legislation expanding gun rights in Iowa, reflecting her alignment with Second Amendment advocacy groups and the broader Republican platform on firearms policy.

Economic Development

In February 2026, Reynolds and the Iowa Economic Development Authority announced the approval of the first awards under the Business Incentives for Growth (BIG) program, a new economic development initiative aimed at attracting and retaining businesses in Iowa.

Child Welfare Modernization

In February 2026, the Reynolds administration announced a partnership with the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to modernize Iowa's child welfare technology systems.

2026 Condition of the State

In January 2026, Reynolds delivered her 2026 Condition of the State address, outlining her administration's priorities for the remaining years of her term.

Announcement Not to Seek Reelection

On April 11, 2025, Reynolds announced that she would not seek reelection in 2026, ending speculation about her political future and opening the race for her successor.

Controversies

In February 2026, The Des Moines Register sought a court order to compel Reynolds's office to release emails related to her response to questions about Lutheran Family Services, after what the newspaper described as an "evasive" response to a public records request. Also in February 2026, reporting revealed that Reynolds had been using a state-owned airplane—a 14-passenger Cessna purchased with COVID relief funds—for official travel, a reversal of her past practice. Reynolds also responded to an Iowa State Auditor's report in February 2026, disputing its findings.

Personal Life

Reynolds has three children. She resides in Iowa and has been open about aspects of her personal history, including her nontraditional path to completing her college degree. Reynolds has maintained a close relationship with Iowa's agricultural sector, particularly the pork industry, reflecting the importance of agriculture to the state's economy and political landscape.

Reynolds has publicly discussed the challenges she faced earlier in life, including her journey to complete her bachelor's degree at Iowa State University while serving as lieutenant governor, graduating in December 2016 at the age of 57.

Recognition

Reynolds's role as Iowa's first female governor has been widely noted as a milestone in the state's political history. Her selection to deliver the Republican response to the 2022 State of the Union Address reflected her standing within the national Republican Party. Her election as chair of the Republican Governors Association in 2022 further underscored her role as a prominent figure in Republican politics at the national level.

Reynolds's tenure has been marked by legislation that has drawn national attention, including the fetal heartbeat abortion ban, educational voucher programs, and transgender rights legislation. These measures positioned Iowa as a focal point in national debates over social policy during her governorship.

Her earlier service as chair of the National Lieutenant Governors Association from 2015 to 2016 also reflected peer recognition within the broader community of state-level officeholders.