Iowa AG Brenna Bird says she will not run for Iowa governor

Iowa Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird will not run for governor in 2026.

Bird, in a statement posted to social media, said she plans to run a "fierce re-election campaign" for attorney general and still has “more work to do.”

The Des Moines Register first reported the news Wednesday.

Bird said she has been “overwhelmed by the number of Iowans who have encouraged me to run for governor,” but is determined to “hold this office to prevent it from being occupied by a radical, progressive Democrat who would undo all we’ve accomplished.”

Nate Willems, a former state legislator and a labor lawyer from Mount Vernon, has launched a campaign to run as a Democrat in the 2026 election for Iowa Attorney General.

“I was born and raised on a farm, and one thing I know is that you don't stop halfway through a job," Bird said in her statement. "We have accomplished big victories — stopping scammers, fighting for victims, standing up for law enforcement and defending our constitutional rights. But, there is still more work to do."

Bird had teased a run for governor, posting a video to social media in May that includes a series of clips of President Donald Trump praising Bird for being an early supporter.

Trump is set to speak in Des Moines Thursday at an event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds to kick off nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Bird, who defeated longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller in 2022, endorsed Trump ahead of the 2024 Iowa caucuses and traveled to New York last year to support the then-former president and presumptive Republican nominee for president as he stood trial in a criminal hush money case.

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Trump, on the night of the 2024 Iowa caucuses in Des Moines, said of Bird: “She’s going to be your governor some day, I predict.”

Bird posted the video with just the word "someday" along with the "eyes" emoji.

Several Iowa political observers, including those in GOP circles, had expected Bird to jump into the Republican primary to succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds, with many speculating whether she would receive Trump’s endorsement — providing a significant political boost in a Republican-led state that overwhelming backed the president in the last election and supported Trump in previous elections.

Reynolds announced in April she will not seek another term as governor. The surprise announcement created a wide-open race that presents opportunities for both Republicans and Democrats. It’s the first time an incumbent will not appear on the ballot in the race for Iowa governor since 2006.

Gubernatorial primary fields continue to take shape

Both the Republican and Democratic primary fields continue to take shape.

Republican state Rep. Eddie Andrews, of Johnston, and former state lawmaker Brad Sherman, a Republican from Williamsburg, have launched campaigns. Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, has formed an exploratory committee, raised nearly $4 million and has aired statewide TV ads as he aggressively moves toward a formal run.

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Republican state Sen. Mike Bousselot, of Ankeny, has also announced an exploratory campaign for governor.

Feenstra, in a statement Wednesday, called Bird “an exceptional and fearless advocate for President Trump and his conservative agenda.”

“She has worked with President Trump to secure our elections, defend Iowa farmers, support law enforcement, and protect women’s sports,” he said in the statement. “... I look forward to continuing to work with Attorney General Bird to keep our communities safe, and will do everything I can to see her re-elected.”

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On the Democratic side, State Auditor Rob Sand and Julie Stauch, a consultant and adviser to several Democratic candidates from West Des Moines, both launched campaigns this spring.

Strategist: Announcement opens the field for Trump endorsement

Jimmy Centers, an Iowa Republican strategist who has worked on presidential, congressional, gubernatorial and legislative campaigns, said Bird’s announcement opens up the field for other Republican candidates and removes a potentially strong candidate who was seen as a potential Trump favorite.

Now, the remaining candidates will likely intensify their efforts to secure Trump's endorsement and appeal to his base of voters, said Centers, who served as communications director for Terry Branstad and Reynolds when they served as governor and lieutenant governor.

“I think it's fair to say that most candidates assumed that Attorney General Bird, had she decided to run for governor, would be in your shoo-in for that endorsement, based on the President's past comments and her involvement in the campaign,” Centers said. “And so now the rest of the candidates are likely jockeying for that endorsement and considering how they position themselves with the president for that endorsement.”

Within minutes of Bird’s announcement, Sherman posted a video to X (formerly Twitter) of him leading a prayer over Trump before a rally in Cedar Rapids in 2023. Sherman was among the first Iowa lawmakers to endorse Trump in his 2024 re-election bid.

“I am the only candidate running for Iowa Governor that endorsed and stood by Pres Trump, and I look forward to working to advance the America First Agenda,” Sherman posted.

Centers said he would not be surprised if Trump and his team lean on Bird for her thoughts and opinions of who would be the strongest possible Republican nominee to take on Sand as the presumptive Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

“(Feenstra’s) pretty focused and set on making a run for governor, and so I don't know that this changes fundamentally what he's going to do, other than there is now ... a much clearer opening for him to secure an endorsement from President Trump,” he said.

While Feenstra appears to be the current front-runner, Centers said the primary is still expected to be competitive, with candidates using this opportunity to build name recognition and test their campaign messages.

“He's still got to take a primary seriously,” Centers said of Feenstra. “He's won a Republican primary before, of course, against former Congressman Steve King. So he knows what that takes, but he shouldn't discount the potential candidacy of Sen. Bousselot and Rep. Andrews, and anyone else that gets in that race.”

Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said Bird would have been “substantial competition” in a Republican gubernatorial primary, especially had she secured an endorsement from Trump.

But Bird’s decision to instead run for re-election as Iowa Attorney General could benefit Iowa Republicans, Hagle said. Bird can focus on her re-election with the power of incumbency, Hagle said, and Feenstra becomes the favorite in a primary field that may not force him to exhaust his resources, Hagle added.

“Having Feenstra and Bird go at each other could have soaked up a lot of resources … and maybe weakened whoever was the victor for the general election,” Hagle said.

Miller-Meeks endorses Feenstra for governor

Fellow Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who represents southeast Iowa, endorsed Feenstra on Wednesday, in the wake of Bird’s decision not to run for governor.

“I’m proud to endorse my friend and colleague, Randy Feenstra, to be Iowa’s next Governor. Randy backed President Trump to secure our border, led the fight to ban China from buying Iowa farmland, and fought Biden’s radical agenda,” Miller-Meeks said in statement released by Feenstra’s campaign.

“He is also working hard to renew the Trump Tax Cuts and protect the family budget,” she said. “Randy Feenstra is a strong and principled conservative who will stand with President Trump and take Iowa to new heights.”

Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy contributed to this report.

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