After a months-long exploratory committee, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, officially launched his campaign for Iowa governor Tuesday.
Feenstra’s announcement makes him the presumed frontrunner for the Republican nomination to replace Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection.
Feenstra has served as the representative for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, which includes northwest Iowa, Sioux City, and Ames, since 2020, when he defeated former U.S. Rep. Steve King in a primary challenge.
Feenstra, who got his start in politics as the city administrator of Hull, Iowa, his hometown, was later elected to the Iowa Senate in 2010 and served two and one-half terms, until he was elected to Congress in 2020.
“I’m excited to officially launch our campaign to take Iowa to new heights,” Feenstra said in a news release Tuesday. “Born and raised in the small community of Hull, I learned hard work at a young age, and I want to take a workhorse mentality to Des Moines.”
During his time in Congress, Feenstra has served on the Ways and Means Committee and has supported extending President Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and furthering those cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that was signed into law on July 4.
Those cuts will result in an average tax reduction of $3,139 per taxpayer in Iowa, according to the Tax Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for tax cuts. The average American taxpayer will see a $3,752 decrease in their tax bill.
“As Governor, I will work with President Trump to advance the America First agenda in Iowa,” Feenstra said in a Tuesday news release. “Together, with the support of Iowans across our great state, we will defend our conservative values and take Iowa to new heights.”
Iowa Democrats Chair Rita Hart criticized Feenstra for announcing his campaign during a government shutdown.
“Randy Feenstra is the definition of an insider politician, and there’s no better proof point than launching his campaign amid the government shutdown,” Hart said in the news release. “After failing Iowa families in office for nearly 20 years – first for 12 years in the Iowa state Senate, and for the last five years in Congress, Randy wants to bring the D.C. swamp to Des Moines. Iowans are ready for change – not more of the same status quo that Randy Feenstra and this slate of Republican candidates would maintain.”