Two 2026 mysteries end, two others continue
A mid-week assessment of what is happening
We now know that an Iowan whose job it is to be ready to step in as governor apparently does not have plans to run for that job next year. Another Iowan doesn’t want to trade D.C. for a chance at Des Moines again. And two others who may have ambitions to become governor are trying to figure out if there is a path for them to win a Republican primary.
A mixture of clarity and uncertainty all in the same week.
From Lieutenant Governor to…?
Ever since Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she was no longer pursuing re-election, I have wondered about her lieutenant governor, Chris Cournoyer. There was a barely a whisper about Cournoyer wanting to run for governor in 2026.
Pretty unusual, right? Don’t we usually assume that a second-in-command — regardless of whether it is a lieutenant governor or vice president — wants the top spot one day?
Cournoyer has become Dick Cheney, although, in a much different way. Cheney decided not to run for president after George W. Bush served his two terms.
Cournoyer, who some Iowa political insiders had found to be a curious choice for Reynolds’ lieutenant governor last December, never commented publicly one way or the other (as far as I can tell) about a potential gubernatorial campaign.
But last Friday, without sending out a campaign announcement, Cournoyer submitted the necessary paperwork to run for state auditor in 2026. There will likely not be an incumbent running in that race since Rob Sand, the Democrat and current occupant of that state office, is all but certain to announce his campaign for governor shortly.
So, the question about Cournoyer’s political focus is now settled. Another question seems to be answered, too.
Staying in D.C.
U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, the 2nd District Republican from Marion, confirmed on Tuesday that she was not running for governor. The buzz about Hinson running for governor was never as persistent as some other Republicans. So, her announcement was not surprising.
Hinson’s statement did not confirm that she was running for re-election for her house seat. “I have decided to stay focused on my mission in Washington, working with President Trump to Make America Great Again,” part of her statement read.
Still Thinking About It
But what about two other Republicans, one a state officeholder and the other a state senator, who are still thinking about their future?
Both Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig and state Senator Mike Bousselot of Ankeny find themselves in a similar spot: can they win a Republican primary if President Donald Trump publicly endorses Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird for the job?
Bird hasn’t said that she is running. But she has put in the work for a Trump endorsement by becoming the only state officeholder to endorse him before the 2024 Iowa GOP Caucuses and supporting virtually everything Trump has done since.
Former state representative Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, is also courting Trump’s endorsement this cycle after publicly supporting him in the caucuses.
It seems tough to predict this far out whether any Republican without Trump’s endorsement could still win a 2026 Republican primary for governor. This has become the party of Trump. As we assess where things stand right now, is there any reason to believe that a single Republican’s endorsement could have more value in a Republican primary than that of the returning president?
It seems unlikely.
However, there is no guarantee that Bird will run for governor. Perhaps she decides to run for re-election for attorney general. Can Bousselot get the Trump endorsement instead, especially if he has former governor Terry Branstad (Trump’s former U.S. Ambassador to China) helping him make the case?
More to come this weekend…
Thanks for supporting our work here. It means a lot. Please also check out other columnists in the Iowa Writers Collaborative. Politics, rural life, business, mental health support, and so much more explored in the group’s unique voices.