Kim Reynolds Touts Long Record of Failing Iowans in Final Condition of the State Address

GOP Gov candidates are running to continue Reynolds’ years of failures

DES MOINES – Just moments ago, the most unpopular governor in the country finished her final Condition of the State address by reminding Iowans of the last decade of empty promises and failed policies that have left working families behind.

Despite the lengths Kim Reynolds went to, there’s no covering up the fact that Iowans are struggling to get by under her leadership — but Randy Feenstra, Adam Steen, Zach Lahn, Brad Sherman, and Eddie Andrews would only make things worse.

From Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Terra Hernandez:

“At every turn, Kim Reynolds has prioritized her own harmful partisan agenda, putting insiders and special interests first — and working families, businesses, and farmers have paid the price. Between an economy in total freefall, declining public schools, widespread government corruption, the highest cancer growth rate in the nation, and an extreme abortion ban, Iowa families are feeling the pain — it’s no wonder Reynolds is the country’s most unpopular governor for seven quarters in a row. Iowans are ready for change, but every Republican running for governor has made it clear they will continue the same failed policies of the last decade of one-party rule. We won’t let voters forget it.”

Here’s a reminder of how Reynolds has failed Iowa:

• Economy under strain: An updated report from the nonpartisan Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia found that Iowa is dead last in the country for economic growth, as new data also found that Iowa is 48th for personal income growth. Layoffs are piling up, the unemployment rate is rising year over year, farmers are going bankrupt, and residents are leaving for better jobs and pay in other states. Moody’s sounded the alarm that Iowa is “in a recession or on the precipice” of one, while the REC warned that Iowa is facing a troubling $1.3 billion deficit in 2026.

• Declining public schools: Under Reynolds, Iowa fell from 5th in the country in education to 20th, setting parents, teachers, and children up for failure. School vouchers — Reynolds’ crowning “achievement” — have funneled public tax dollars to unaccountable private schools, leaving rural school districts to foot the bill for wealthy families and forcing cuts to local programs.

• Widespread government corruption: Reynolds’ administration has been called Iowa’s “least transparent in 30 years” for her pattern of stonewalling records requests and catering to insiders and special interest groups. Brad Sherman even launched his campaign for governor before she announced she wouldn’t be running for a third term, accusing Reynolds of turning Des Moines into a “bureaucratic swamp.”

• Harmful health care outcomes: Iowa has the highest cancer rate in the nation, is 44th for physicians per capita, and is worst in the country for OB-GYNs per capita. Thanks to D.C. Republicans’ deeply unpopular budget law that threatens health care for 106,700 Iowans, rural hospitals that are already struggling to keep their doors open are at serious risk of closure, while 117,890 Iowans are seeing their premiums skyrocket. Meanwhile, women and families are suffering under Reynolds’ extreme abortion ban that restricts women’s access to care before they even know they’re pregnant.

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