Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to speak in Bettendorf today about re-election bid

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds launched her 2022 re-election campaign Wednesday night at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, Des Moines.

The event kicked off a statewide tour, which will include stops at all corners of the state during the next two weeks. Tonight (March 10), at 6 p.m., Reynolds will speak to the Scott County Republican Women at Tanglewood Hills Pavilion, 4250 Middle Road, Bettendorf.

“Today, I am officially launching my re-election campaign for governor of the state of Iowa,” Gov. Reynolds, 62, said in her announcement. “As long as I am governor, Iowa will be a state where you can live your life freely, not have to wake up every morning worrying about the next thing the government will do to you, your business, or your children.”

“With a victory in November, we can ensure Iowa remains a beacon of freedom, liberty, and unlimited prosperity,” she said. “A state known for unmatched opportunity. The best is yet to come.”

Reynolds served as the lieutenant governor to Gov. Terry Branstad from 2011 to 2017. When Branstad stepped down to become President Donald Trump’s ambassador to China, Reynolds became Iowa’s first female governor.

She was reelected in 2018 to her first full term with Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg, winning 50.3% of the vote. More information regarding her tour and the campaign can be found at Reynoldstour.com.

Democrat Deidre DeJear — the 35-year-old owner of Caleo Enterprise and African-American vote director for Obama for America Iowa — is seeking the nomination to run against Reynolds.

Iowa Democratic Party chair Ross Wilburn issued the following statement after Reynolds’ announcement:

“Kim Reynolds has failed Iowans. She’s sold out our state to her wealthy donors, ramming through tax giveaways for millionaires.

“She’s bullied our children and teachers while defunding our world-class public schools,” Wilburn said. “She’s failed to provide relief for working families and has doubled down on the punishing policies that worsened our state’s workforce crisis. She’s betrayed Iowa’s proud legacy of being a welcoming state with her cheap attacks on Iowa’s workers, communities of color, and LGBTQ kids.

“She’s given corporations a free pass to pollute our water and put our children’s health and safety at risk,” he said. “And in Iowa’s greatest time of need, she chose her corporate donors over Iowans and hoarded resources that could have saved lives and livelihoods. While Kim Reynolds seeks to divide us, Iowa Democrats are working to make Iowa a better place for everyone. It’s time for compassionate common sense to return to the Governor’s office.”

Progress Iowa executive director Matt Sinovic also slammed the governor Wednesday night.

“Iowans work hard to take care of our families. We want leaders who will do what’s right so that we can do our best. But for the past decade, the needs of working families have been ignored by Corporate Kim Reynolds,” he said.

“Fewer Iowans are working today than when Corporate Kim Reynolds took office,” Sinovic said. “There aren’t enough workers to keep schools, hospitals, and small businesses open. But Corporate Kim Reynolds continues to double down on the policies that created her workforce crisis. The ones that give the wealthy and big businesses tax breaks, while taking money away from our public schools, public safety, and health care services.

“Just last week, she signed her unfair tax bill into law that rewards wealth, not work,” he said. “Under her plan, Iowa’s highest earners will receive a massive tax cut, while potentially increasing taxes on the poorest in our state. 

“Corporate Kim Reynolds has also sold out our kids with her disastrous education policies. While Democrats in the legislature proposed investing $300 million in Iowa schools, Corporate Kim Reynolds proposed giving that $300 million to her corporate donors, robbing public schools to fund private schools instead. 

“And for far too long, Corporate Kim Reynolds has stood in the way of our access to healthcare,” Sinovic added. “She has outsourced healthcare to private companies who get to decide whether we live or die based on profit. And she has prevented Iowans from accessing critical health care like family planning services and abortion.

“Iowans understand that we are part of a community and stronger when we come together,” he said. “Unfortunately, Corporate Kim Reynolds uses divisive issues to distract us from the fact that she’s a corporate sellout who prioritizes her wealthy donors over hardworking families. Iowans want a leader who works to improve our lives, not a corporate sellout who only wants to tear us apart.”