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Coming up on ����vlog 8 news close up, major news from the Governor Kim Reynolds is not running for re-election. Why she says she's not seeking *** third term in 2026. We look at the biggest moments in during Reynolds' time in office. Leading the state through *** global pandemic, tornadoes and floods, while making major changes to education, abortion access, and tax policy, plus analysis from strategists on both sides of the aisle how Reynolds' announcement will shake things up in 2026. This is Iowa's news leader. This is ����vlog 8 News close up. Good morning and thanks for joining us for ����vlog 8 News close up. I'm chief political reporter Amanda Rucker. *** stunning announcement from Governor Kim Reynolds this week has been making waves in Iowa politics. She is not going to run for re-election. Reynolds revealed her decision in *** video released on Friday. She said after *** lot of. Prayer and conversations with her family, she has decided not to seek *** third term in 2026. Now it's time for me to be there for them, to help them through the next stage of life, to watch every track meet and basketball game, to see them grow before they're all grown. Reynolds is the first woman to serve as governor of Iowa. She called it the greatest honor. She was elected in 2018. To her first full term beating then Democrat Fred Hubble, she was re-elected in 2022 after beating Democratic opponent Deidre Deier. Before that, Reynolds served as lieutenant governor and *** state senator. During her time in office, she led the state through the global COVID-19 pandemic. She signed *** disaster emergency declaration on March 9, 2020 and ordered some recreational businesses and schools closed before later allowing them to reopen. She kept students in schools and opposed mask mandates, though she did issue an order to wear masks in public places back in November 2020 at large gatherings. During her time as governor, she has made several major policy changes. In July 2023, she signed *** bill into law that banned abortion after fetal activity is detected, usually after six weeks of pregnancy. In January 2023, she signed into law the Students First Act that allowed taxpayer money to help Iowans pay for private school tuition starting the state's education savings account program. Last year she announced significant changes to the state's area education agencies, which oversee services for all students with disabilities and provide other education resources to schools across the state. Reynolds also signed several rounds of income tax cuts into law and worked to improve access to childcare. She gained national attention in 2022 when she delivered the Republican response to President Biden's State of the Union address, and in 2024 she endorsed Ron DeSantis for president ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Reynolds also oversaw major disaster recovery efforts, including the 2020 and. 2021 torachos *** round of tornadoes in 2024 and several years of significant flooding in Iowa. *** lot that happened during her time in the governor's office. And Reynolds announcement means that the race for governor will be wide open in 2026 to unpack what that means for our state we have with us this morning, Republican strategist Tyler Campbell, Democratic strategist Jeff Link, thank you both for being here. Uh, Tyler, what was your reaction when you heard Reynolds' announcement? Yeah, I think you said it. Making waves is, is, is absolutely correct. Um, all indications have been that Governor Reynolds has been gearing up and ready to run again. Um, this definitely resets, uh, what 2026 is going to look like. Um, I think that, uh, you know, I've heard from both Democrats and Republicans that um are now having to totally change the calculus, um, of, of their plans. And I think if we just kind of take *** step back, um, what I've noticed also is just the outpouring of support um that I've seen across the state for Governor Reynolds and all the major historic things that she's accomplished, some of them that you have touched on here. Jeff, from the Democratic side of things, what was your response? Well, uh, as Tyler said, it's, it's *** huge change. Uh, we don't get *** lot of open seats in the state of Iowa and having an incumbent Republican governor seems to be something that that Iowans have been comfortable with in the past. You know, the last open seat was 2006, so if you're under 37 years old, you've never had *** chance to vote in an open seat race for governor. Um, and before that it was 1998, uh, so these are rare opportunities, and I think it gives the Democrats *** huge opportunity to actually take back, take back the governorship. Yeah, I was going to ask both of you, you know, what does this mean for your party for Republicans, you know, is there any chance that this is good or is losing an incumbent, you know. Mean it's going to be *** hard tough road in 2026. Look, Governor Reynolds has been such *** leader at the top of the ticket. I mean her tenure has ushered in kind of an unprecedented period of success for Republicans. Uh, we have taken, Republicans have taken back to, um, statewide office. This is long held by Democrats. We've seen uh the majorities in the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate grow under her leadership. We have all four, seats in Congress, um, and, and our two senators, of course, and so, you know, she's always ran very, very strong. Um, that being said, I think Iowa, you know, has shown to be, you know, common sense conservative state, and I think there's *** number of Republicans, uh, that have great background, great experience that will be ready to run, um, and continue, uh, you know, kind of take the, the torch and continue, uh, um, leading in *** fiscally conservative common sense way. Without her name though at the top of the ticket, does that open the door for Democrats? I wouldn't say necessarily opens the door. Um, in fact, I think *** lot of the democratic strategy, frankly heading into this next cycle was to, um, really run at ***, um, some specific things, uh, um, that has happened under, uh, uh, Governor Reynolds' leadership, um, *** lot of which I, I would argue very popular with Iowans, but I think they're gonna have to kind of, you know, change their strategy *** little bit, um, with this open seat, and as Jeff said, it is, you know, pretty. here in Iowa, Jeff, to Tyler's point, Democrats have long criticized Reynolds for *** lot of the things she's done. I think they were kind of gearing up for this announcement to be Reynolds running for re-election and thinking about strategy. So what does this mean for Democrats? Could it potentially be negative without having that kind of backtrack of Reynolds' track record to fight against? No, I don't think it's negative at all for Democrats. In fact, Uh, not having an incumbent is *** is *** huge advantage for the Democrats, and make no mistake, like it's an uphill climb for *** Democrat to win, uh, the governorship in 2026, but the other parallel to 2006 is that was the first midterm under George Bush, and that was *** good year for Democrats. I think we have *** good year for Democrats coming up in 2026 and I also believe that whoever the nominee is is gonna be more conservative and more mega. Than Kim Reynolds, that's, that's probably, you know, goes without saying, but that makes for *** very big deal and the opportunity for Democrats is to find *** candidate who can not only appeal to the Democratic base but to independents and the non-mega Republicans in Iowa. Yeah, there are *** lot of questions about why she chose not to run for reelection. You heard in her video, her mentioning her family, but there are some people who say she endorsed. Santos, you know, she told me that she had kind of moved past that at the start of this session, but it does beg the question, has she moved, you know, has the party moved too far right for her to stay? And do you think that was part of her calculation at all, Tyler? No, that's, that's not my read at all. Um, you know, I think you heard the governor sharing, uh, you know, some of her, um, you know, her own personal thoughts, um, and you know how important it is for her to, to be, um, your family. And so you know I, I think she's still immensely popular throughout the state when I go around to events, when I talk to Republicans, um, I think, you know, folks were excited to, you know, support Governor Reynolds again, um, but you know, like I said, there's going to be *** great opportunity for some other leaders in Iowa to step up and it's sure gonna make for an interesting 2026. Yes, well, we will be right back after this break. When we come back, we're looking at who could potentially run in that 2026 election for the governor. We'll be right back. Welcome back to Close Up. The announcement that Governor Kim Reynolds made. She is not running for re-election garnered widespread reaction from state leaders. In *** statement, Iowa GOP chair Jeff Kaufman said, quote, Governor Reynolds has been *** generational leader for our state and party under her bold conservative leadership. Iowa now sits as one of the best states in the entire country, adding, quote, I want to thank her friendship, service, and for being the leader Iowa needed. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart released the following statement saying, quote, Iowa Republicans' decade in control of state government has left Iowa 49th in economic growth and with *** $900 million budget deficit. She wrote in 2026, voters will get to hold them accountable for taking our state in the wrong direction. It's time for *** governor who will put Iowans to work, lower costs, and support our rural areas. From leaders in the state house, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley wrote, quote, I'm incredibly proud of all we've accomplished together over the last six sessions. No matter what chaos we saw in Washington DC or from our blue state neighbors, we've kept our heads on straight in Iowa. Iowa House Democrats also weighing in in *** statement, House minority Leader Jennifer Confer said, quote, Iowans are ready to turn the page on Kim Reynolds' legacy of division of politics, adding, quote, It's time for *** governor who will build an economy that works for everyone. It's time for *** governor who will put people over politics. Well, we continue our conversation with our Republican and Democratic strategists. Thanks for being here this morning. So here's the big question. *** wide open governor's race in 2026 who are Democrats and Republicans going to put up? Tyler, we'll start with you now that we know it's not going to be Reynolds, what are Republicans thinking? Yeah, so the good news for Republicans. Uh, just with the, the tremendous success, the last several cycles, I think that there has, uh, ***, *** tremendous roster has developed across the state. Talented folks, we have folks in statewide positions from Attorney General, uh, Brenenburg, um, who has of course very close ties, um, with, uh, President Trump and the Trump administration, um, our Secretary of Agriculture. Mike Neg, um, you know, we have folks serving in Congress right now who are very, very popular in their districts, so I think there's no shortage of, uh, individuals, um, you know, of that you hear about um who uh potentially would be, uh, you know, very formidable for the spot, um, so I think, you know, I do expect it to be *** uh um *** very busy primary. Uh, Joni Ernst is up for *** re-election also in 2026. So are Iowa's, you know, four US House seats. You've, we've heard names potentially like Zach Nunn being floated, but would Republicans want to, you know, potentially give up having an incumbent in one of those congressional seats? So that's, that's the, the calculus, right? So with, uh, you know, Congressman Nunn's seat being as contested as it is, um, that's certainly, I, I would imagine be part of, you know, his decision factor, um, his family's, um, and, and others as well, um, but, um, as Jeff has said before, uh, these open seats for governor don't come open, um, often, and again I think the good news for Republicans is there is just *** *** *** battle tested group, um, that has, you know, shown, you know, uh, you know. They're kind of how well that they've performed, um, they've won tough reelections in the last couple of cycles and so I think there's gonna be, you know, um, you know, ample number of folks who are gonna be taking calls, um, who, you know, are gonna take ***, give *** real serious look here. Jeff, on the Democratic side of things, we don't have *** candidate that's made an announcement, to my knowledge. We do know that state auditor Rob Sand has raised *** lot of money and there's been some, you know, whispers of his potential plans to run for governor. Is that something that you're hearing or potentially some other names being floated? Yeah, I would, I would think Friday was *** good day for Rob Sand. He's he's been taking *** look at this race and he's our only statewide elected official, and he should take *** look at the race. I wouldn't be surprised if there are other leaders who step up and take *** look at the race. There's been some names floated in the Senate race. They might take *** look at the governor's race now that that's opened, and I also wouldn't be surprised if there were some independent candidates that surfaced in this process. So there'll be *** lot of sorting out to do, but I think Sand has. The the most advantages right now, uh, because he is *** statewide office holder, um, and he, he has really created, uh, I think *** good profile for himself as, as the state auditor. So, uh, we'll, we'll see how things come you know you have *** lot of battle tested, uh, candidates, but that also kind of points to the fact that you could have *** pretty nasty primary. Potentially and we've seen primaries, you know, in the last few years, right, some of the Republicans are more threatened by *** primary challenger than they are, you know, from the left, although in this case we wouldn't have *** challenger it would be *** primary open race, but *** lot to watch. Uh one of the things I'm also wanting to look back on is 2018, maybe the first midterm after Trump, you know, was in office the first time. Is there anything strategy wise that you're thinking back to, you know, that midterm election to learn from looking at 2026? Yeah, I, I think there's certainly some lessons that can be learned, um, if you know, if we remember back, um, Democrats actually won two of our congressional seats with, uh, um, Abby Finnauer and uh and Cindy Axsney. Um, the governor's race was, was hotly contended, um, contested. All of our statewides were very close as well. Um, you know, one thing that I will point to is the Democratic candidate in 2018. Um, he was *** very, very. Well funded, um, you know, candidate, um, more on the moderate kind of side of things, um, and you know, Governor Reynolds was able to, you know, end up, um, you know, prevailing, um, with their message and which is again has just continued to, um, you know, show success, um, in, in the subsequent cycles, um, I think when you talk about Rob Sands, uh, you know, he, I imagine he will try to tack back to the center, uh, he will raise *** lot of money, *** lot of that money might be, uh, you know, from family as well and. But if 2018 showed something, I don't think you know Iowans necessarily respond to, you know, folks just trying to put *** ton of personal money into their their races. But I think that, you know, Republicans should expect for, um, you know, very, very hotly contested races even outside of the gubernatorial race. We'll hear from Jeff Link when we come back. We'll also talk about how Iowans will be remembering Kim Reynolds. Stay with us. Welcome back to Close Up. Before the break we heard about how Republicans will be approaching 2026 potentially. Jeff, how are Democrats thinking about this? What's the strategy here potentially in 2026? Well, I think, like I said earlier, the Democrats, it's incumbent upon Democratic candidates, particularly the gubernatorial nominee. Uh, to speak to Democrats, independents, and Republicans, uh, we, we can't just rely on talking to Democrats. We can't just rely on talking to independents. We have to go across the board. Uh, we were talking about 2018, you know, the big difference between 2018 and what we have ahead of us is Governor Reynolds was, was the incumbent at that time, and she only won by 37,000 votes. It was *** very close election. Uh, you won't have an incumbent this time, so I think that gives the, the, uh, Democrats an advantage. And like I said, the state has been trending Republican, but with the way Trump is handling the economy right now and the way, um, uh, the way things are shaping up in 26 with an open seat. And we don't know what's gonna happen yet in the Senate race. Uh, we don't, we haven't heard whether Ernst is gonna run again or not. That's, that, that will be an interesting question to answer to. Lots of things to, to look at. Do you have something to add there? Nope, I, I, I just agree. I think that just the open nature of this, this race is going to make things interesting. Well, thinking about now that we know this will be Reynolds's last term as governor. Tyler, what do you think are the top three things that Republicans will take away from Reynolds' time as governor? Sure, absolutely. I think you know, one major thing, you know, Governor Reynolds has just been *** winner. Like I said, ever since 2018, Republicans have just seen, you know, kind of victory after victory from the local level, state level, statewide, and you know, that is kind of even bled into our, our congressional races. Uh, the second thing, um, just the, the state of the overall economy in Iowa, um, it's, it's been more dynamic. Governor Reynolds has had huge accomplishments taking, you know, personal, uh, tax rates from 9% down below 4%, um, lowering, uh, corporate tax rates, and, you know, making, you know, historic investments, um, in education and workforce development as well, um, and the other thing, you know, third, I just think again the historic nature of of Governor Ramos, Iowa's first female governor. I just think. Um, you know, the standard that she has set for so many girls, not only in Iowa but just across the country who want to seek higher office. I just think it's commendable, and I think, you know, that's going to be *** major part of her lasting legacy. Jeff, how do you think Democrats will remember Governor Kim Reynolds? Uh, I, I think *** couple things. 11, I would say, you know, congratulations to her for breaking the glass ceiling and and being the first woman to be elected governor. That's *** big accomplishment, um. I think number 2 Democrats are going to remember this voucher program and and giving money to private education at the expense of public schools. Um, that's we're we're seeing that in this current budget more than $300 million is gonna go to private schools that would have otherwise gone to public education and the third thing is, um, even more than Terry Branstad, she put *** very conservative social agenda. You know, at the top of her priority list in the legislature, whether it was abortion or other things, and she really did that at the expense of Iowa's economy. Iowa's economy is not in *** good place right now. We're very slow on growth. I think we're the forty-ninth state in the in the country when it comes to economic growth, and it's because we're so focused on these social issues we we need someone to come in and. Really be focused on growing the state's economy again. We're already hearing the differing visions, right, that will crop up in 2026. Well, I know we'll both have you on quite *** bit as we start covering that election that is far away but not too far. Thank you both for being here this morning. Thanks, Amanda. Well, when we come back, we talk about what's happening at the Iowa Statehouse in the final stretch of legislative session. Stay with us. Welcome back to Close Up. Iowa lawmakers are in the final stretch of legislative session, working to finalize their top policy priorities and set the state budget for the upcoming fiscal year. This week, the Iowa Senate passed *** bill that would expand cancer coverage for first responders. Right now, state law allows for insurance coverage of 14 types of cancers. House filele 969 expands the definition to broaden coverage for all types of cancers. That would provide workers compensation for firefighters battling the disease and extends the broader insurance coverage into retirement. Schools in Iowa will soon be required to limit when students can use their cell phones. Starting next school year. All districts will have to create *** policy that restricts cell phone use during instructional time. I spoke to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle that support this plan, hoping it will improve outcomes across the state. 92, those voting no for absent are not voting for *** constitutional majority declared to pass the House. The governor's bill to restrict cell phone use in the classroom passed the Iowa House Tuesday with broad bipartisan support. I hope that it really helps focus our students *** little bit more and take away some of the distractions. Cell phones can and do cause problems in the classroom, Republican Representative. Shipley says the data shows cell phone restrictions help students. Several school districts across the state have already been doing *** version of this policy, and the results have been tremendous. One semester after implementing *** strict cell phone ban, the Autumwa School District saw *** 12% increase in A's and B's for grades 8 through 12. The same grades saw *** 60% decrease in Fs. there told ����vlog they're seeing *** change. There's less bullying, cyber bullying. You don't have to worry about checking your phone, seeing *** nasty message or pictures or rumors. Like none of that really happens anymore. Lawmakers hope their proposal will help more schools see similar results. I think that we are really encouraged to see that such *** simple restriction of Cell phones can cause such *** positive difference, but we're hopeful that those results will be seen across the state. The Iowa Department of Education has to create *** model policy by May. Democratic Representative Heather Matson says that will help schools interpret the new requirements. They can look at what other school districts are doing. They can look at what the state offers as guidance, and it will give them *** lot to work with. And the governor says she looks forward to signing the legislation into law. Also, *** bill to boost K-12 school funding is on its way to the governor's desk. The plan would give schools around $8000 for every student in their district. That is about 2% more than what they got this year, or $157 more per student. The plan includes $1 million to. Allow schools to share more of certain management positions like superintendents, HR, and curriculum directors. The new plan also allocates $1 million to even out transportation costs between districts. Now, even though they got that funding accomplished, they are still working on setting the state budget, so we'll bring you updates there as we get them. Thanks for joining us for ����vlog 8 News close up. We'll see you back here next Sunday. Have *** great day.