Who will run for Iowa governor now that Kim Reynolds won’t?

Reynolds’ surprise announcement creates an open race that presents opportunities for both Republicans and Democrats. It’s the first time an incumbent will not appear on the ballot in the race for Iowa governor since 2006 — and only the third time since 1982.

House Speaker Pat Grassley, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, Sen. Michael Bousselot and Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig have said they are considering seeking the governor’s office in the 2026 general election.

Grassley, 41, a Republican and farmer from New Hartford, was first elected in 2006 and has served as House speaker since 2020. He previously chaired the House budget-writing committee, and is the grandson of longtime Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

House Republicans grew their majority during his tenure to a 67-seat supermajority, their first in over 50 years. He’s led House Republicans in passing tax cuts, abortion restrictions, taxpayer-funded Education Savings Accounts families can use to pay private school costs and several bills aimed at eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion offices from the state’s public universities, community colleges and private campuses.

Grassley, in a statement, called Reynolds a “bold leader” who “put parents back in the driver’s seat, passed historic tax cut after historic tax cut, and kept our common sense on social issues.“

“As we look to the future, our state needs more of this strong leadership — someone who will keep Iowans’ freedoms at the forefront and partner with President (Donald) Trump to keep Iowa strong,” he said.

As for his political future, Grassley said, “I’m not ruling anything out.”

“My focus right now remains on the last few weeks of session with the House Republican caucus and delivering on the promises we’ve made to Iowans,” he said of the legislative session scheduled to end in May. “We have important work remaining like passing a responsible budget that funds Iowans’ priorities, rooting out DEI, and protecting landowners from eminent domain abuse.”

Naig, in a statement, said he and his family “are thoughtfully discussing” the possibility of him running for governor.

He said for now he is focused on “supporting Iowa farmers, growing our ag economy, and protecting our soil and water,” but is “having conversations with friends and supporters across the state to determine whether there’s a clear path forward.”

Naig, 47, was promoted to the post in 2018 after former Secretary Bill Northey accepted a position as an undersecretary for the U.S. Department of Agriculture during Trump’s first term. Later that year, Naig won election to a full, four-year term as ag secretary.

“Regardless of this decision, I intend to be on the ballot in 2026,” Naig said. “Thanks to Governor Reynolds’ strong leadership, Iowa is on the right track — and I’m confident that Republicans will continue building on that foundation. We have a deep bench of talented leaders, and our party is well-positioned to be successful in 2026. Whatever decision I make, it will be guided by my commitment to serving Iowans and ensuring our state remains the best place to live, work, and raise a family.”

Kaufmann, 39, a crop and livestock farmer who also owns and operates a steel hauling, construction and demolition business in Cedar County, was first elected in 2012.

The Republican from Wilton chairs the House tax policy Ways and Means Committee, where he’s led the passage of tax cuts as well as legislation meant to protect the property rights of Iowa landowners by restricting the ability of carbon capture pipeline developers from using eminent domain to secure land for their projects. He also floor managed passage of legislation to expand cancer coverage for Iowa firefighters.

Kaufmann is the son of Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann, and he worked for Trump’s campaign in Iowa as a senior adviser ahead of the 2024 Iowa caucuses.

“I can confirm that I am considering running for governor,” Kaufmann said in an interview with The Gazette. “It’s obviously a very new topic to me and to, I think, everyone. I didn’t have this on my radar. I was planning on fully supporting Gov. Reynolds as I always have.”

Kaufmann said he is weighing what running would mean for his farm, his business, his legislative seat and whether “I want to go from a citizen legislator to a full-time job on steroids.” But he said he would not run if Pat Grassley does.

“Speaker Grassley is my best friend at the Capitol, and should he become a serious candidate, I would not be running and I would be endorsing him,” Kaufmann said. “Outside of that, no other candidate deters me.”

The other big wild card is whether Trump chooses to endorse a candidate ahead of a likely Republican primary. Kaufmann said he has not spoken to Trump recently.

“Knowing him the way that I know him, whoever he chooses to endorse — if he chooses to endorse — would certainly have to earn it,” he said. “I don’t want to speculate much beyond that.”

Another GOP lawmaker rumored to be considering a run for governor is Sen. Mike Bousselot, of Ankeny. The 42-year-old lawyer was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2022 after previously serving one term in the Iowa House.

“I take it as a huge compliment anybody who puts my name in that conversation,” Bousselot said in an interview.

Pressed as to whether he was actively considering running, he said “I’m always going to look for ways to serve Iowa.”

“I love being state senator,” he said. “I love working at the Capitol and fighting for Iowa families, working to make sure we’re an affordable place for people to live, a place where businesses want to invest, where jobs get created … and we have the best trained workers and the best schools for our kids.”

Before being elected to the Iowa Legislature, he worked as a policy adviser and chief of staff to former Gov. Terry Branstad.

“I was really hoping she was running for reelection again,” Bousselot said of Reynolds. “I was looking forward to supporting her. You know, I think the world of Gov. Reynolds. … I was surprised when she made the announcement, but family comes first.”

As of now, former one-term Republican state lawmaker Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, is the only declared Republican candidate for governor. Sherman announced plans in February to run for governor, before to Reynolds’ announcement.

Sherman’s campaign announced Monday a slate of endorsements from some of the Iowa GOP’s most conservative elected leaders and activists. They include state Sens. Sandy Salmon, Dennis Guth, Doug Campbell and Kevin Alons; state Reps. Mark Cisneros of Muscatine and Judd Lawler of Oxford; former state Reps. Luana Stoltenberg of Davenport and Anne Osmundson of Volga; Sam Clovis, a former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate and former senior White House adviser under Trump; former state senator and former Republican candidate for U.S. Senate Jim Carlin; and Iowa congressional candidate David Pautsch of Davenport.

“This is only the beginning,” Sherman said in a statement. “Over the next several weeks and months, I look forward to earning even more support as we share our message across the state.”

Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird hinted in a statement last week that she would be considering running for governor in 2026.

Other Republicans who have been discussed as possible candidates include U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn and Randy Feenstra, as well as U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matt Whitaker.

Billy Fuerst, campaign spokesman for Feenstra, said the Republican from Hull “is focused on delivering on President Trump’s full agenda of border security, energy independence, and fiscal responsibility” and is “committed to passing a Farm Bill as a member of the House Agriculture Committee.”

Iowa GOP U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks issued a statement Tuesday saying she is not exploring a gubernatorial run.

“I am focused on serving the people of Iowa’s First Congressional District and working to reauthorize the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, lower prescription drug prices, protect our farmland from the Chinese Communist Party, and protect women’s sports,“ Miller-Meeks said. ”We have great potential candidates to come forward in the next few weeks to fill the huge shoes of Governor Reynolds. I look forward to working with President Trump and my colleagues to keep Iowa red and not let progressives destroy the state we love.”

Representatives for Nunn did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

Reynolds’ announcement that she would not seek a third term, saying it was time to step back and focus on her family, came the day after Morning Consult released a survey that named her the nation’s most unpopular governor for a fifth straight quarter — and the only one with an approval rating underwater, at 49%.

Matthew Klein with The Cook Political Report, an independent, non-partisan newsletter that analyzes U.S. elections and campaigns, noted Reynolds’ signed into law a strict abortion bill in 2023 that bans the procedure after detection of fetal cardiac activity, which can occur as early as six weeks of pregnancy.

“That alienated Democrats and many independents, and her recent push to ban gender identity from the state’s civil rights statutes only rubbed salt in the wound,” Klein wrote. “Meanwhile, supporters of President Donald Trump remain livid over her endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2024 presidential campaign, which Trump said at the time would mark ‘the end of her political career.’ She’s also faced criticism from voters of all stripes for her handling” of the COVID-19 pandemic.“

On the Democratic side, Paul Dahl, a Webster City man who previously ran unsuccessfully for governor and Congress, announced his candidacy for governor in November.

State Auditor Rob Sand, a potential Democratic candidate for governor, has not yet announced his intentions for 2026. He raised $8.4 million last year, although $7 million of it came from his family, his report shows. He finished the year with $7.5 million in his campaign account.

Sand, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on his decision-making process.