Gov. Kim Reynolds raises her profile at Iowa State Fair

DES MOINES — If there is anyone who comes close to Iowa Republican royalty, it’s Gov. Kim Reynolds.

The popular governor was the star this month of the Iowa State Fair, interviewing Republican presidential candidates and leading them on tours of the fairgrounds. While providing a neutral forum for GOP presidential candidates, her “Fair-Side” chats also have been an opportunity for Reynolds to advance her own brand as the eyes of the nation are on Iowa as the first-in-the-nation GOP caucuses approach.

White House candidates took several opportunities during the chats to commend Reynolds for her leadership and conservative wins in Iowa. Governors in the field — Ron DeSantis, Doug Burgum, Asa Hutchinson — have said Reynolds is a great colleague and applauded her leadership of the Republican Governors Association.

“How many of y’all love Kim Reynolds?” candidate Tim Scott, a U.S. senator from South Carolina, asked the crowd who came to watch him speak with the governor. After enthusiastic cheering from the crowd, Scott said, “It’s 100 percent.”

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The chats have been far from a grilling session, and Reynolds has presented friendly questions allowing candidates broad leeway to touch on their signature campaign topics while presenting prescreened questions from Iowans on the economy and agriculture. She also used the chats as an opportunity to tout her conservative victories, like eliminating retirement income tax and implementing a multimillion dollar school choice program.

“We are cutting taxes and regulation. We're empowering parents and giving them school choice,” Reynolds said in her first chat with California radio host Larry Elder. “Our national profile is rising. People are paying attention to what’s happening in Iowa.”

During the interviews, Reynolds asked candidates about policy issues like school choice, immigration and border security and the economy. She also asked all the candidates the same series of three lighthearted questions: about their humorous experiences on the campaign trail, their favorite State Fair food, and their favorite song to be introduced to at speaking events.

The question about “walkout” songs is what produced one of this year’s State Fair viral moments, when candidate Vivek Ramaswamy rapped along to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.”

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Reynolds lends credibility to candidates

Touring the fairgrounds with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Reynolds turned heads and attracted fans who took photos with the pair. People shouted, “We love you Kim” as she walked the grounds between stops at livestock buildings and the butter cow.

Simply being accompanied by Reynolds can lend a candidate credibility among Iowa Republicans. Jodi Henning, 56, of Decorah, was excited to see Reynolds as she walked the grounds with Haley, but she said she did not know much about Haley. A Republican, Henning plans to caucus next year but has not made up her mind on a candidate.

“I have not met Nikki Haley before, or heard her debate before, so that’s another one on my list to listen to,” Henning said. “I’m very interested in what she has to say. I just figure when Gov. Reynolds aligns herself with good people, I’m interested in what they have to say.”

Henning said Reynolds’ role as an impartial moderator on the campaign trail is a smart one, allowing the ideas in the party to have an equal stage.

“That’s a smart governor,” she said. "Keep your arms open. Embrace your party, but yet embrace all the ideas, and then make a decision. It’s early to endorse someone.”

Reynolds closest thing to caucus “kingmaker”

Reynolds is putting a face on the caucus process as the nation’s eyes are trained on Iowa, said Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann. He said that helps out with his goal of persuading national Republicans that Iowa should remain first in the nation with its caucuses.

“I don’t see a downside to the tradition that she’s starting, and I hope she’s starting out a tradition where it will continue even past her tenure as governor,” he said.

The governor has so far pledged to remain neutral in the primary process as she fields more than a dozen candidates campaigning in Iowa. But in interviews with CNN and Fox News at the fair, Reynolds did not rule out making an endorsement ahead of the Jan. 15 GOP caucuses.

Reynolds’ campaign declined a request for an interview.

There are no caucus “kingmakers” in Iowa, Kaufmann said, but Reynolds, who is well-liked by more than 80 percent of Iowa Republicans, could come close if she were to endorse. Even her approval of a specific policy suggestion could help out a candidate, he said.

“By far, she has the most ability to bring that focus (to a campaign),” Kaufmann said. “And like I said, with the exception of her, there are no other endorsements that really, truly matter, in my opinion.”

Donna Hoffman, a political-science professor at the University of Northern Iowa, said Reynolds’ hosting style may have a small effect on Republican voters. She pointed to former President Donald Trump’s public criticism of Reynolds for remaining neutral and not endorsing him, and the fact that Trump’s polling in Iowa, while not as strong as it is in most national polls, still places him far ahead of rivals. That criticism from Trump has upset some Iowa Republicans.

“I do think Gov. Reynolds has some influence on Iowa GOP caucusgoers, but it would be easy to overstate that influence,” Hoffman said.

Though all candidates were invited to her chats, two major GOP candidates were absent from the stage: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Trump. Christie has largely foregone campaigning in Iowa, focusing his efforts instead on New Hampshire.

The former president, on the other hand, has had some public quarrels with the governor, and he largely has avoided sharing a stage with her as he has campaigned in Iowa this year. He brushed off his past criticisms when he came to the fair Aug. 12 and held his own event, though he again took credit for helping her win the 2018 election.

“I have a very nice relationship with her. … I like her very much,” Trump told reporters. “I actually did a couple of rallies for her and she ended up winning the election instead of losing the election. I like her very much. That’s why I came to do some rallies for her.”

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In a statement, Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Paige Godden said Democrats have been at the fair focusing on funding public education and protecting abortion rights, while Reynolds has been elevating far-right presidential candidates.

“The governor instead gave some of the most extreme voices a platform to push conspiracy theories and fight culture wars,” Godden said. “It’s been clear for a while that the governor is much more interested in serving special interests and elevating her national profile than delivering for Iowans.”

Governor is an 'ambassador for Iowa'

Timothy Hagle, a political-science professor at the University of Iowa, described Reynolds as acting as “an ambassador for Iowa,” and said her style of hosting candidates has been different from previous governors.

Hagle said Reynolds also may be motivated by a desire to protect the Iowa Republican caucuses’ first-in-the-nation status. Iowa Democrats recently lost their first-in-the-nation spot when the national party reshuffled its presidential nominating calendar.

“With the (national Democrats) kicking Iowa off of the early states and Iowa Democrats having problems finding a workable alternative, it’s probably more important than usual for the Republicans to do a good job hosting their candidates,” Hagle said. “As the governor, and one who recently won re-election by a large margin, she can likely draw more attention to events than might otherwise be the case. That includes getting candidates to visit Iowa and participate.”

Hagle said it also could be, more simply, that Reynolds just enjoys being more involved in the caucus campaign than her predecessors, even as she upholds the unofficial tradition of the state’s governor remaining neutral.

“My impression is that (Republican former Gov. Terry) Branstad was just a bit more reserved regarding those types of things, and Reynolds is a bit more outgoing,” Hagle said.

Chats elevate Reynolds’ national profile

Reynolds’ chat series drew national media attention during the State Fair, just like other events and locations to which presidential candidates gravitated. That media coverage could help further advance Reynolds’ national profile, especially within the Republican Party.

Reynolds already has been on the radar nationally; she delivered Republicans’ out-of-power party response to the State of the Union address in 2022, and currently serves as chair of the national Republican Governors Association.

She has also garnered national news coverage for some of the conservative policies enacted in recent years by Reynolds and Republican state lawmakers.

UNI’s Hoffman said the “Fair-Side Chats” helped Reynolds raise her profile and give the Republican presidential candidates an opportunity to interact with her.

“And maybe consider her for a running mate or future cabinet position,” Hoffman said.

Hagle said it is important to distinguish intent from effect — Reynolds’ active hosting may have the effect of raising her national profile, but it’s unclear whether that is her intent, he said.

“Reynolds has been mentioned a few times as someone who might be a possible vice presidential pick. As a popular governor in a state where Republicans have been winning of late, it seems she might be a good choice to balance a ticket depending on the presidential candidate,” Hagle said.

“I haven’t gotten the impression that she’s pushed to be in the national spotlight, at least not to the extent we see some other governors do so” — citing Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom as an example. “But she also hasn’t shied away from getting attention when it comes her way.”