While Iowa’s federal delegation has spent the week taking action on issues like fentanyl and Air Force facilities in Washington, D.C., some of Iowa’s U.S. representatives have also weighed in on an issue in their home state — the upcoming governor’s race.Previous video above: With Reynolds out, who will step in for 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election?After Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek reelection in 2026, several Republican elected officials in state and federal office have been brought up in media and elsewhere as potential candidates to replace her as the GOP nominee. Within state government, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, House Speaker Pat Grassley and state legislators including Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, have indicated they are considering a run for the seat, though none have officially announced their candidacy. Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is expected to join the race as the Democratic candidate but has also not announced an official run.Iowa’s four U.S. representatives, all Republican, have also been mentioned. Three of the four have already said they do not plan to run for the position. On the WHO AM Simon Conway show Thursday, Rep. Zach Nunn, representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, said directly “no,” he will not run for governor. “Governor’s race is open, I want to be very clear on this,” Nunn told Conway, a conservative talk show host. “… I think we all want to say thank you very much for Governor Reynolds, for her incredible service, for our state, for her leadership through COVID and beyond. Together, Governor Reynolds and I got to work on the three largest tax cuts in Iowa history, it’s better for every American. That said, we also have a mission. I am combat focused and trained, and now we are in Washington. I’ve got a job to do.”Rep. Ashley Hinson also said she will not run for governor. She released a statement Tuesday saying she was thankful for the encouragement she has received from many Iowans asking her to run, but that she plans to stay in Washington to work with President Donald Trump on advancing a conservative agenda.“We have a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to make real, lasting change in our country right now, and I’m committed to the fight to make Washington run more like Iowa,” Hinson said . “I am also committed to electing a conservative Governor in Iowa — I’ll be out on the campaign trail doing everything I can to help keep Iowa the best place in the world to call home.”Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks ruled out a run in a statement earlier in April, saying she was honored for the consideration, but “my current job is all encompassing and I will not be exploring a gubernatorial run.”The only representative who said he was open to running for the position is Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. According to the Des Moines Register, Feenstra was asked by reporters at an April Marshalltown event if he’s keeping his options open for a potential gubernatorial campaign, and he answered “I think that’s a fair statement.”Outside of the 2026 gubernatorial race, here’s some of what members of Iowa’s D.C. delegation weighed in on this week:Ernst presses Air Force nominee for Sioux City airfield improvementsU.S. Sen. Joni Ernst called for the Air Force to make planned updates to Sioux City’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.The Iowa Republican brought up previous Air Force commitments to upgrade the Sioux City airfield during a hearing for Matthew Lohmeier, the nominee for the under-Secretary of Air Force position. Ernst said the Air Force said they would make these improvements for the 185th, a unit of the Iowa Air National Guard, when the refueling wing converted from F-16 fighters to KC-135 tankers in 2003.Ernst said at the meeting because the tankers, a heavier aircraft that are carrying fuel for delivery, weigh significantly more than the previous fighters, the current Sioux City runway is unable to support these planes. She said further aircraft upgrades now underway in the Air Force further threaten the 185th, saying the squadron “could potentially lose its mission because of the failure to upgrade this runway.”“This is completely unacceptable, and the Air Force must live up to its commitment as of 22 years ago,” Ernst said Thursday.Lohmeier did not agree directly that the Air Force will go through with the upgrades to the Sioux City facility when pressed by Ernst, but said he would be “very transparent in my communications” on the issue and investigate further if confirmed.“I make the same commitment to you that I’ve made to Sen. (Tom) Cotton, or that I’d be willing to make with any senator in this room, that I’ll weigh each matter in a nonpolitical manner, try and make the best decisions for the force,” Lohmeier said. “And of course, I’m very interested, Senator, as you suggested, in honoring the commitments that the Department of the Air Force has made in the past where that’s feasible.”Ernst said she will continue to press Air Force leadership to follow through with the Sioux City facility improvements.“Iowa’s 185th has served with honor, and they absolutely deserve infrastructure that matches their operational demands,” Ernst said. “I’m going to continue to press on this, and I hope that I have resolution in the near future. We need to make sure these commitments are honored.”Nunn, Ernst propose fentanyl legislationErnst also introduced a bill this week to raise criminal penalties for distributing fentanyl when the drug results in the user’s death.The “Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act,” introduced by Ernst in the Senate and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, in the House, would make the act of knowingly distributing fentanyl a first-degree murder charge when the fentanyl use caused a person’s death.Ernst said in a statement Tuesday the measure will help prevent deaths from fentanyl.“I have seen firsthand how the scourge of fentanyl has inflicted incredible tragedy on communities across Iowa,” Ernst said. “I have worked for years to protect Americans and stop this deadly epidemic. Increasing the severity of the punishment for the drug dealers responsible for the deaths of too many Iowans is long overdue.”In 2024, the Iowa House passed a similar increase in criminal penalties for people who distribute fentanyl that results in death, but did not include the language in Ernst’s legislation that the distributor must be “knowingly” sharing the drug. The Iowa House passed a similar measure again this year, but it has not been taken up by the Senate.In recent years, Iowa has seen an increase in overdose deaths related to fentanyl. Republicans at both the state and federal level have called for further action to secure the U.S.-Mexico southern border and prevent drug trafficking of fentanyl into the country. A 2020 U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration report found most fentanyl is transported into the U.S. through legal ports of entry by U.S. citizens.Nunn introduced a bill Tuesday alongside Rep. Josh Riley, D-New York, aimed at developing technology to detect fentanyl at the border and other government facilities.The “Stop Fentanyl Smuggling Act” would direct the National Laboratories at the U.S. Department of Energy to research and develop new technologies that can detect fentanyl vapor and particles, particularly for use at U.S. border entry points and in prisons.In a news release, Nunn said the measure will equip law enforcement with better tools for combatting fentanyl trafficking and will help prevent deaths caused by the drug.“Fentanyl and synthetic opioids were responsible for 43% of all drug overdoses in Iowa in 2022,” Nunn said in a statement. “Every life lost to this poison is a family shattered. … I’m proud to lead bipartisan legislation that empowers our border agents, first responders, and law enforcement with the tools they need to detect fentanyl before it reaches our streets. This is about saving lives and protecting Iowa communities.”Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
DES MOINES, Iowa — While Iowa’s federal delegation has spent the week taking action on issues like fentanyl and Air Force facilities in Washington, D.C., some of Iowa’s U.S. representatives have also weighed in on an issue in their home state — the upcoming governor’s race.
Previous video above: With Reynolds out, who will step in for 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election?
After Gov. Kim Reynolds in 2026, several Republican elected officials in state and federal office have been brought up in media and elsewhere as potential candidates to replace her as the GOP nominee. Within state government, Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, House Speaker Pat Grassley and state legislators including Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, they are considering a run for the seat, though none have officially announced their candidacy. Iowa Auditor Rob Sand is expected to join the race as the Democratic candidate but has also not announced an official run.
Iowa’s four U.S. representatives, all Republican, have also been mentioned. Three of the four have already said they do not plan to run for the position. On the Thursday, Rep. Zach Nunn, representing Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District, said directly “no,” he will not run for governor.
“Governor’s race is open, I want to be very clear on this,” Nunn told Conway, a conservative talk show host. “… I think we all want to say thank you very much for Governor Reynolds, for her incredible service, for our state, for her leadership through COVID and beyond. Together, Governor Reynolds and I got to work on the three largest tax cuts in Iowa history, it’s better for every American. That said, we also have a mission. I am combat focused and trained, and now we are in Washington. I’ve got a job to do.”
Rep. Ashley Hinson also said she will not run for governor. She released a statement Tuesday saying she was thankful for the encouragement she has received from many Iowans asking her to run, but that she plans to stay in Washington to work with President Donald Trump on advancing a conservative agenda.
“We have a unique, once-in-a-generation opportunity to make real, lasting change in our country right now, and I’m committed to the fight to make Washington run more like Iowa,” Hinson said . “I am also committed to electing a conservative Governor in Iowa — I’ll be out on the campaign trail doing everything I can to help keep Iowa the best place in the world to call home.”
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks ruled out a run in a statement earlier in April, saying she was honored for the consideration, but “my current job is all encompassing and I will not be exploring a gubernatorial run.”
The only representative who said he was open to running for the position is Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. According to , Feenstra was asked by reporters at an April Marshalltown event if he’s keeping his options open for a potential gubernatorial campaign, and he answered “I think that’s a fair statement.”
Outside of the 2026 gubernatorial race, here’s some of what members of Iowa’s D.C. delegation weighed in on this week:
Ernst presses Air Force nominee for Sioux City airfield improvements
U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst called for the Air Force to make planned updates to Sioux City’s 185th Air Refueling Wing in a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Thursday.
The Iowa Republican brought up previous Air Force commitments to upgrade the Sioux City airfield during a hearing for Matthew Lohmeier, the nominee for the under-Secretary of Air Force position. Ernst said the Air Force said they would make these improvements for the 185th, a unit of the Iowa Air National Guard, when the refueling wing converted from F-16 fighters to KC-135 tankers in 2003.
Ernst said at the meeting because the tankers, a heavier aircraft that are carrying fuel for delivery, weigh significantly more than the previous fighters, the current Sioux City runway is unable to support these planes. She said further aircraft upgrades now underway in the Air Force further threaten the 185th, saying the squadron “could potentially lose its mission because of the failure to upgrade this runway.”
“This is completely unacceptable, and the Air Force must live up to its commitment as of 22 years ago,” Ernst .
Lohmeier did not agree directly that the Air Force will go through with the upgrades to the Sioux City facility when pressed by Ernst, but said he would be “very transparent in my communications” on the issue and investigate further if confirmed.
“I make the same commitment to you that I’ve made to Sen. (Tom) Cotton, or that I’d be willing to make with any senator in this room, that I’ll weigh each matter in a nonpolitical manner, try and make the best decisions for the force,” Lohmeier said. “And of course, I’m very interested, Senator, as you suggested, in honoring the commitments that the Department of the Air Force has made in the past where that’s feasible.”
Ernst said she will continue to press Air Force leadership to follow through with the Sioux City facility improvements.
“Iowa’s 185th has served with honor, and they absolutely deserve infrastructure that matches their operational demands,” Ernst said. “I’m going to continue to press on this, and I hope that I have resolution in the near future. We need to make sure these commitments are honored.”
Nunn, Ernst propose fentanyl legislation
Ernst also introduced a bill this week to raise criminal penalties for distributing fentanyl when the drug results in the user’s death.
The “Felony Murder for Deadly Fentanyl Distribution Act,” introduced by Ernst in the Senate and Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, in the House, would make the act of knowingly distributing fentanyl a first-degree murder charge when the fentanyl use caused a person’s death.
Ernst said in a statement Tuesday the measure will help prevent deaths from fentanyl.
“I have seen firsthand how the scourge of fentanyl has inflicted incredible tragedy on communities across Iowa,” Ernst said. “I have worked for years to protect Americans and stop this deadly epidemic. Increasing the severity of the punishment for the drug dealers responsible for the deaths of too many Iowans is long overdue.”
In 2024, the Iowa House for people who distribute fentanyl that results in death, but did not include the language in Ernst’s legislation that the distributor must be “knowingly” sharing the drug. The Iowa House again this year, but it has not been taken up by the Senate.
In recent years, Iowa has related to fentanyl. Republicans at both the state and federal level have called for further action to secure the U.S.-Mexico southern border and prevent drug trafficking of fentanyl into the country. A 2020 most fentanyl is transported into the U.S. through legal ports of entry by U.S. citizens.
Nunn introduced a bill Tuesday alongside Rep. Josh Riley, D-New York, aimed at developing technology to detect fentanyl at the border and other government facilities.
The “” would direct the National Laboratories at the U.S. Department of Energy to research and develop new technologies that can detect fentanyl vapor and particles, particularly for use at U.S. border entry points and in prisons.
In a news release, Nunn said the measure will equip law enforcement with better tools for combatting fentanyl trafficking and will help prevent deaths caused by the drug.
“Fentanyl and synthetic opioids were responsible for 43% of all drug overdoses in Iowa in 2022,” Nunn said in a statement. “Every life lost to this poison is a family shattered. … I’m proud to lead bipartisan legislation that empowers our border agents, first responders, and law enforcement with the tools they need to detect fentanyl before it reaches our streets. This is about saving lives and protecting Iowa communities.”
is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com.
