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Who will it be? Some insiders believe Iowa Gov. Reynolds’ lieutenant governor pick will come from outside government
Discussions with Iowa political insiders attempts to shed light on who Reynolds may name as her second-in-command
Dec. 5, 2024 5:00 am, Updated: Dec. 5, 2024 10:45 am
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DES MOINES — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds soon will announce her new second-in-command.
If conversations with dozens of Iowa political insiders are any indication, there appears to be a good chance that Iowa’s next lieutenant governor will come from outside the political sphere.
For the second time since she became Iowa’s governor in 2017, Reynolds must choose her right-hand man — or woman. The first time — when Reynolds herself ascended from lieutenant governor after former Gov. Terry Branstad became U.S. ambassador to China — Reynolds selected Adam Gregg, the former state public defender.
Gregg served as Iowa’s lieutenant governor from that point until resigning earlier this year to take a leadership position with the Iowa Bankers Association.
Now, Reynolds must again handpick the individual who will serve as her lieutenant and become next in line to the governor. Her announcement could come soon: just before Thanksgiving, Reynolds told reporters she had completed the interview process and planned to make an announcement “in the next couple of weeks, probably.”
Who will Reynolds pick?
The Gazette put that question to dozens of Iowa political insiders, and two common threads emerged.
One: Nobody was certain. Reynolds and her staff appear to be playing this one close to the chest.
Two: While not a unanimous sentiment, many of the sources said they have heard or have reason to believe Reynolds’ choice will come from outside government and politics. It will not, those sources believe, be a current elected official or state agency head. Reynolds’ selection could come from Iowa’s business or agriculture industries, those sources believe.
Alan Ostergren, an Iowa attorney active in conservative causes and the former Muscatine County attorney, said he believes Reynolds looked for a new lieutenant governor with whom she can work closely and complement other administration staff. Ostergren said he believes Reynolds will choose someone with whom she is familiar, someone with whom she has worked before.
So who will it be?
For this story, The Gazette interviewed more than two dozen people with working knowledge of the Iowa Capitol. They include former staffers in the Governor’s Office — both Reynolds’ and Branstad’s — former state legislators, lobbyists, and Iowa Republican Party activists.
The sources were asked who they have heard or who they believe Reynolds will choose as her new lieutenant governor. The sources were granted the ability to speak to The Gazette anonymously so they could speak freely about Reynolds’ pending selection.
What follows is a short list of names that came up most often in discussions with those sources.
Emily Schmitt
Among potential outside-of-government candidates, Schmitt’s name came up multiple times.
Schmitt, from Sheffield, is chief administrative officer and general counsel of Sukup Manufacturing.
She has worked with Reynolds’ administration on multiple occasions, having served on a pair of state task forces. Schmitt in 2018 served on the Growing Rural Iowa Task Force, which was established to explore ways to grow Iowa’s rural communities. And in 2021, Schmitt chaired the state’s Child Care Task Force, which was created to generate recommendations for addressing Iowa’s child care shortage.
With that background, Schmitt fits two qualifications that many sources said they believe Reynolds will be looking for: someone from outside of government, and someone who already has a relationship with Reynolds so the governor knows her pick can be trusted.
Reynolds Cramer
Another potential pick from outside the political sphere, according to sources, is Cramer, the CEO of Fareway Stores.
Cramer, who is from Norwalk, is a member of the Iowa Business Hall of Fame. Fareway has 139 stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota, according to the company.
Chris McGowan
The president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce since 2011, McGowan makes a repeat appearance on The Gazette’s list of potential Reynolds lieutenants. His name also came up with insiders when Reynolds was considering her first pick in 2017.
McGowan, who lives in Sioux City, has worked in economic development for more than 20 years. He has served in the Iowa Air National Guard and worked in the U.S. Department of Justice in Michigan.
Mike Bousselot
While there was a strong sense that Reynolds will go outside the political box with her pick, not all sources believed that. And among the elected or government officials who were discussed, two came up most often: Mike Bousselot and Kraig Paulsen.
Bousselot, who lives in Ankeny, was Branstad’s chief of staff. In 2021, he was appointed by Reynolds to serve as director of the Iowa Department of Management.
Later that year, he stepped down and was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in a special election. In 2022, he was elected to the Iowa Senate, where he still serves.
Kraig Paulsen
Paulsen is the current director of the Iowa Department of Management. He also is a former speaker of the Iowa House, having served in that leadership position from 2011 to 2015.
Amy Sinclair
A state legislator from Allerton and the Iowa Senate president, Sinclair is currently the second-in-command until a new lieutenant governor is named.
Since first being elected to the Iowa Senate in 2012, Sinclair has risen in the ranks among Republican state lawmakers and has been in the forefront on high-profile legislative debates, particularly over public education policy while she chaired the Senate’s Education Committee.
Tiffany O’Donnell
O’Donnell’s name came up as a potential outside-the-box selection within the political sphere. O’Donnell is the mayor of Cedar Rapids; she was first elected to the office in 2021.
O’Donnell also is CEO of Women Lead Change, a Cedar Rapids-based organization that works to help women impact the economy and workforce. She is a former TV news anchor.
What the pick means
Whomever Reynolds picks will be first in the line of succession to the governor. That authority was enshrined in the Iowa Constitution by a proposal that voters passed overwhelmingly in the 2024 general election.
The selection also likely will be Reynolds’ running mate if Reynolds chooses to run for re-election when her current, four-year term ends in 2026. While Reynolds has made no official, public statement about 2026, there is increasing belief among Iowa political observers that Reynolds will seek another term.
If Reynolds does not run for re-election, her new lieutenant governor will have the opportunity to serve in the administration and could decide to use that experience as a springboard to their own gubernatorial campaign.
Count Ostergren among those who believe Reynolds will run for re-election in 2026. As such, Ostergren believes Reynolds is not necessarily choosing a successor with her lieutenant governor selection.
“I believe she will run for another term and six years is a lifetime in politics,” Ostergren said.
Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com
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