# Kim Reynolds
**Kim Reynolds** (Kimberly Kay Reynolds, née Strawn; born 1959) is an American Republican politician serving since 2017 as the 43rd governor of Iowa and the first woman elected to the state's highest office.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds) • [2](https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w638811d) She entered politics as a county treasurer, served two years in the Iowa Senate and nearly two terms as lieutenant governor under [Terry Branstad](https://www.edgepedia.org/terry-branstad), and succeeded him in May 2017 when he became U.S. ambassador to China.[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) • [4](https://apnews.com/kim-reynolds-sworn-in-as-iowas-1st-female-governor-82f468ca15fd492fac9b61525f107c35) On April 11, 2025 she announced that she will not seek a third full term, opening the 2026 governor's race.[5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) • [6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1959, as Kimberly Kay Strawn[2](https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w638811d) |
| Prior offices | Clarke County Treasurer 1995–2009 (14 years); Iowa Senate 2009–2010; lieutenant governor elected 2010, reelected 2014[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) |
| Governor | Sworn in May 24, 2017; elected in her own right in 2018 and re-elected in 2022[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) • [7](https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Reynolds) |
| Election margins | 2018: 50.3% to 47.5% (about 2.8 points); 2022: 58.0% to 39.5%[7](https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Reynolds) |
| Signature policies | Flat income tax, universal school choice, government reorganization, six-week abortion ban[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) |
| National roles | GOP response to Biden's 2022 address to Congress; Republican Governors Association chair (2023)[5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) |
| 2025 status | Announced April 11, 2025 she will not seek a third term; term expires January 2027[5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) • [3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) |
## Early life and career
Reynolds graduated from Interstate 35 [High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/high-school) in 1977 and later earned a bachelor's degree from [Iowa State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/iowa-state-university) in 2016, completing the degree while serving in statewide office.[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) Her political career began in county government: she served 14 years as Clarke County Treasurer, from 1995 to 2009, in a largely rural southern Iowa county with a population under 10,000.[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) The official governor's biography counts four terms in that post.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds) In 2000 she served as president of the Iowa State Treasurers Association, and in 2004 she received the Victor Martinelli "Outstanding County Treasurer in the United States" award.[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf)
## Statewide office and lieutenant governorship
Reynolds moved into partisan office in November 2008, when she was elected to the Iowa Senate; she served there from 2009 to 2010.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds) • [3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf) Two years later, in November 2010, she was elected lieutenant governor as Terry Branstad's running mate and was reelected in November 2014, serving nearly two terms in the office.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds) • [3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf)
## Governor of Iowa
**Succession in 2017.** Reynolds was sworn in as governor on May 24, 2017, the same day Branstad was sworn in as U.S. ambassador to China. At 57, she became Iowa's first woman governor.[4](https://apnews.com/kim-reynolds-sworn-in-as-iowas-1st-female-governor-82f468ca15fd492fac9b61525f107c35) She took over from the nation's longest-serving governor, who had held the top job for more than 22 years across two stints.[4](https://apnews.com/kim-reynolds-sworn-in-as-iowas-1st-female-governor-82f468ca15fd492fac9b61525f107c35)
**Elections.** Reynolds won her first full term in November 2018, defeating Fred Hubbell 50.3 percent (667,275 votes) to 47.5 percent (630,986), a margin of about 2.8 percentage points.[7](https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Reynolds) In November 2022 she defeated Deidre DeJear 58.0 percent (709,198) to 39.5 percent (482,950), with libertarian Rick Stewart taking 2.4 percent (28,998).[7](https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Reynolds) Her current term expires in January 2027.[3](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf)
**2025 announcement.** On April 11, 2025, Reynolds announced she will not seek a third term, a decision that sets up an open race for the governorship in 2026.[5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) • [6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html)
## Policies and initiatives
**Taxes.** Reynolds signed a flat tax and other cuts that drove Iowa's top personal income tax rate down from 9 percent to 3.9 percent, according to *Governing*; *The New York Times* reports the rate as a flat 3.8 percent as of 2025. The two accounts differ on the final rate and the discrepancy is unresolved.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) • [6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html) An earlier income tax cut signed in March 2022 was aided by federal pandemic relief funds flowing to the state.[9](https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083627839/iowa-gov-reynolds-will-likely-tout-her-covid-response-in-state-of-the-union-rebu) Her administration describes the measures as the largest tax cuts in state history.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds)
**School choice.** In 2022, Iowa legislators rejected her proposal for a $55 million private school scholarship fund. Reynolds campaigned against the GOP legislators who opposed the idea in that year's primaries and unseated the House Education Committee chair; the following year she signed a private school scholarship bill with a price tag seven times larger than the rejected version.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) Her administration lists universal school choice among its central achievements.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds)
**Government reorganization.** In 2023 she pushed through a bill reducing Iowa's cabinet-level agencies from 37 to 16, a change that also gave the governor more authority over hiring and firing. In May 2024 she signed legislation reducing or eliminating 83 state boards and commissions.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024)
**Abortion.** In 2023 she signed a six-week abortion ban, which took effect after a June 2024 Iowa Supreme Court ruling.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024)
**COVID-19 pandemic.** Through most of the pandemic, Reynolds mandated that Iowa's schools provide classroom instruction and turned down $95 million in federal money intended for COVID testing in schools. In spring 2021 she banned schools from requiring masks, leading the Biden administration to launch a civil rights investigation. Businesses and large gatherings in Iowa faced few or no restrictions for much of 2020 through 2022, often against the advice of public health experts.[9](https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083627839/iowa-gov-reynolds-will-likely-tout-her-covid-response-in-state-of-the-union-rebu)
**Other priorities.** Her administration also cites creation of Iowa's first Children's Mental Health System, workforce development, child care access, and growing renewable fuels among its achievements.[1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds)
## By the numbers
- **Election margins:** about 2.8 percentage points in 2018 (50.3% to 47.5%); roughly 18.5 points in 2022 (58.0% to 39.5%).[7](https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Reynolds)
- **Income tax:** top personal rate cut from 9 percent to a flat rate reported as 3.9 percent[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) or 3.8 percent as of 2025[6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html).
- **Federal funds declined:** $95 million in federal COVID testing money for schools rejected.[9](https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083627839/iowa-gov-reynolds-will-likely-tout-her-covid-response-in-state-of-the-union-rebu)
- **State government:** cabinet agencies cut from 37 to 16; 83 boards and commissions reduced or eliminated.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024)
- **Approval:** 45 percent in the Iowa Poll in late 2024, the lowest recorded level in that survey.[6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html)
## Role in national politics
Reynolds delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden's 2022 address to Congress and later served as chair of the Republican Governors Association, after a term as vice chair in 2021–2022.[5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) • [1](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds) In the 2024 presidential race she endorsed [Ron DeSantis](https://www.edgepedia.org/ron-desantis) before the [Iowa caucuses](https://www.edgepedia.org/iowa-caucuses) and campaigned aggressively with him, drawing criticism from Donald Trump.[6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html) Assessing her record, Christopher Larimer, a political scientist at the University of Northern Iowa, said that any history of Iowa governors must place her among those who pushed through major policy changes.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024)
## What has changed since 2023
The 2023 government reorganization cut cabinet-level agencies from 37 to 16, and the May 2024 law reduced or eliminated 83 boards and commissions.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) The six-week abortion ban she signed in 2023 took effect in June 2024 after the Iowa Supreme Court ruling.[8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) *The New York Times* reports the income tax as a flat 3.8 percent as of 2025, while *Governing* reports the top rate driven down to 3.9 percent.[6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html) • [8](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024) Her approval fell to 45 percent in the late-2024 Iowa Poll, its lowest recorded level, and in April 2025 she announced she would not seek a third term, leaving the 2026 race open.[6](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff) Republicans steadily increased their majorities in the Iowa House and Senate under her leadership.[5](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff)
## References
1. [Meet Governor Kim Reynolds, Office of the Governor of Iowa](https://governor.iowa.gov/meet-governor-kim-reynolds)
2. [Reynolds, Kim, 1959- , Social Networks and Archival Context](https://snaccooperative.org/ark:/99166/w638811d)
3. [Iowa Legislature Redbook, Chapter 1 (official legislative directory)](https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/publications/RDBKI/1597044.pdf)
4. [Kim Reynolds sworn in as Iowa's 1st female governor, AP News](https://apnews.com/kim-reynolds-sworn-in-as-iowas-1st-female-governor-82f468ca15fd492fac9b61525f107c35)
5. [Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds announces she won't seek reelection in 2026, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-84052fdcc9fdca605b15dc256e0b30ff)
6. [Gov. Kim Reynolds of Iowa Won't Seek Re-election, Setting Up Open Race, The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/us/politics/kim-reynolds-iowa-governor.html)
7. [Kim Reynolds, Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Kim_Reynolds)
8. [Kim Reynolds Has Reshaped Both Policy and the State Government in Iowa, Governing](https://www.governing.com/poy/2024/kim-reynolds-public-officials-of-the-year-2024)
9. [Who is Kim Reynolds? Iowa governor giving GOP SOTU response, NPR](https://www.npr.org/2022/03/01/1083627839/iowa-gov-reynolds-will-likely-tout-her-covid-response-in-state-of-the-union-rebu)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Government and public administration › Politicians and government officeholders (biographies) › US governors and state officials › State executive officeholders › Governors since 2000 › Surnames M to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 27, 2026; Sep 28, 2026; Sep 29, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 27, 2026; Sep 28, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license