Next governor will drive the agenda

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ announcement last week that she will not run for re-election in 2026 came as a surprise to most of us.

And by declining to run, she’s creating a rarity in Iowa – an open seat in the governor’s office. There have been just four elections in the last 57 years with no incumbent governor seeking re-election, in 1968, 1982, 1998 and 2006.

So, it’s an important moment. The next governor will play a large role setting Iowa’s agenda for the next four years, and possibly beyond.

What sort of governor do we want? What attributes would you like to see in the next governor? What skills do they need?

We’ve thought of a few things we’d like to see in the next governor.

We’d like to have a governor who is collaborative, who doesn’t consider compromise a dirty word. Bipartisan cooperation builds lasting legislative landmarks far more solid than divisive partisan bills. We’d like to see a governor willing to bring Iowans to the table who could be harmed by legislation or an action by the governor. Meet them face to face.

That would take some political courage, which is another attribute we’d like to see. It would be refreshing to have a governor who would stand up to their party, especially when its political agenda would harm Iowa and Iowans. We’d like a governor who is not so enamored with their lofty office, who knows doing the right thing is worth the political risk.

We deserve a governor who is honest and truly transparent. Our current politics is filed with lies, misinformation and a preference for secrecy, it would be remarkable to elect a governor who will play it straight. It would also be great to have a governor who doesn’t have to be sued so public records are released in a timely manner.

Curiosity and creativity can serve a governor well. We’d prefer a governor with the brain power to come up with Iowa solutions to Iowa problems, not simply use prefabricated bills written by think tanks.

We also hope that the campaign ahead will be a more substantive race between dueling visions for the state and how we’d get there, rather than a dark money political bloodbath. We know that’s a tall order, but Iowans deserve it.

(319) 398-8262; editorial@thegazette.com