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Campaign Almanac: Feenstra airs first TV ad as Iowa governor’s race takes shape
Also, Republican state Sen. Lynn Evans launches exploratory campaign for Feenstra’s U.S. House seat
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Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra is touting his conservative record as part of a statewide ad campaign as he explores a run for Iowa governor.
Randy Feenstra, the Republican congressman representing northwest Iowa, filed paperwork last week with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board to set up a campaign for governor in 2026.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds made a surprise announcement last month that she would not seek a third term, leaving a wide-open Republican primary.
Former one-term Republican state lawmaker Brad Sherman, a pastor from Williamsburg, is so far the only declared Republican candidate for governor.
Other statewide elected Republicans and legislators have said they're considering running. State Sen. Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, has also announced an exploratory campaign to consider a run for Iowa governor in 2026.
On the Democratic side, Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand last week launched his campaign for governor.
The ad plays on Feenstra's 6-feet, 5-inches frame, promising his conservative record is "no tall tale."
"Feenstra stood with President (Donald) Trump and battled (Democratic former President Joe) Biden and the left," a narrator says. "He’s leading the fight to stop Communist China from buying up Iowa farmland. And Feenstra backed Trump to secure our border. Now, Iowa needs a proven conservative to take us to new heights."
The $400,000 ad buy includes network, cable, radio and digital platforms and is running in every major media market, including Sioux City, Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, and Ottumwa, according to Feenstra’s campaign.
Trump decisively carried Iowa in 2020 and 2024. His endorsement would be a huge advantage that would significantly winnow the Republican primary field of serious contenders.
Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird posted a video to social media Friday teasing a run for governor. The video includes a series of clips Trump praising Bird for being an early supporter.
Bird 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.
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.”
Someday...👀 pic.twitter.com/hVOQHTvt7I
— Brenna Bird (@BrennaBird) May 16, 2025
Bird posted the video with just the word "someday" along with the "eyes" emoji.
Lynn Evans explores run for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District
Republican State Sen. Lynn Evans is considering a run for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District after launching an exploratory campaign Saturday.
The announcement from Evans of Aurelia comes nearly a week after Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra, who currently holds the 4th Congressional District seat, announced he is exploring a run for Iowa governor. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, announced in April that she is not seeking re-election.
Evans, who is in his first term in the Iowa Legislature and chairs the Senate Education Committee, touted his endorsement of President Donald Trump during the last presidential election and said he is committed to being a voice for “common sense.”
“I’ve launched this exploratory committee because the people of Iowa’s 4th District deserve a proven conservative voice in Washington — someone who understands rural Iowa and is ready to fight for our values on Day One,” Evans said in a statement. “As a lifelong educator, local leader, and now state senator, I’ve spent my life serving Iowa families, and I’m ready to take that service to the next level.”
Evans added that he will listen to people from across the 4th Congressional District in the coming weeks as he considers a run.
A former superintendent of the Alta-Aurelia Community School District and current adjunct instructor at Buena Vista Community College, Evans was one of 12 state Senators who pledged not to vote for state budget bills until legislation regarding the use of eminent domain for carbon sequestration pipelines was brought to the Senate floor for a vote earlier this month.
Evans represents District 3 in northwest Iowa, which includes Buena Vista and Osceola counties.
The only officially declared candidate running for the seat is Democrat Ryan Melton of Webster City, who announced his bid earlier this month. This will be Melton’s third time running for the seat after he lost to Feenstra by over 30 percentage points in both 2022 and 2024.
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