Gov. Kim Reynolds says ‘best is yet to come’ in final pre-election ad

“The best is yet to come” is the title for the final ad in Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds’ 2022 re-election campaign.

Reynolds, Iowa’s first female governor who has been in office since 2017, is seeking another four-year term. She is being challenged by Democrat Deidre DeJear and Libertarian Rick Stewart.

In Reynolds’ final campaign ad, which is 60 seconds long, she says Iowa is “rooted in faith, freedom and hard work,” and that in Iowa, “we still know right from wrong, boys from girls, and liberty from tyranny.”

The “boys and girls” line is a reference to a new state law that prohibits transgender girls from competing in girls sports at the youth and high school levels in Iowa. Reynolds has said the law “saved girls sports,” even though there have been no examples in Iowa — and very few nationally — of transgender girls dominating youth or high school girls athletics.

In the ad, Reynolds also highlights her administration’s decision to reopen closed businesses and schools earlier than many other states early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the new state law she signed that reduces unemployment benefits, the Reynolds and statehouse Republican-led series of state tax cuts, and support for the military and law enforcement.

“Because of who we are and what we stand for, Iowa has always been America at its best,” Reynolds says in the ad. “Here in this field of dreams that we call home, anything is possible, and the best is yet to come.”

Republican Bird challenges Tom Miller over law enforcement in new ad

Brenna Bird, the Republican candidate for Iowa attorney general, in a new ad said Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller’s policy stances make Iowa less safe.

Building on her recent ads, the spot points to Bird’s endorsements from more than 70 of Iowa’s sheriffs and slams what it calls Miller’s liberal policies.

Miller “let a convicted child predator walk free” because of a sex change, Scott County Sheriff Tim Lane says in the ad.

The ad refers to Josie Smith, who was sentenced to prison for child sex abuse in 2015. Smith, who previously identified as a man, began gender reassignment treatment while in prison.

Miller’s office initially sought to commit Smith to an institution after her slated prison release. But after she started transitioning, the state’s expert reversed an original finding that Smith had a high likelihood to reoffend because of a lower presence of testosterone.

Miller’s office filed to dismiss its request to commit Smith on these grounds, and Smith later was resentenced after viewing child pornography while on probation.

“When Cedar County needed Tom Miller, he wasn’t there for us,” Cedar County Sheriff Warren Wethington says in the ad.

Miller has rebuffed Bird’s characterization that he is soft on crime and not allied with law enforcement. He noted in an interview last month his office works with county law enforcement and prosecutors to secure convictions for criminals.

“That is a much more important role than sort of being their political advocate, to take a political stance that you say you support law enforcement,” he said.

Mike Franken celebrates Iowa roots, military career in ad

In a new ad, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mike Franken highlights his Iowa beginnings and his military career.

“I was the youngest of nine. After school I worked in my dad’s machine shop,” he says in the ad.

Franken is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

He goes on to say he worked at a meatpacking plant in college and became a three-star admiral in the Navy after nearly 40 years.

“My story hardly seems possible today,” Franken says. “Corporate special interests have bought off politicians and stacked the deck against regular people.

“But Iowans are strong. We can reject the corporate money, and rebuild the promise of America.”

Franken is one of several Democratic candidates to refuse corporate PAC money, a pledge originated by the advocacy group End Citizens United. Like other Democrats who have taken the pledge, he has received some criticism from Republicans for taking money from Democratic Leadership PACs, which have some percentage of funding from corporate PACs.

Progress Iowa to hold events supporting public schools

Progress Iowa, a liberal advocacy group, is planning a series of events in support of public schools Wednesday.

The events will feature “local leaders, parents and retired educators” advocating for funding to public schools and against a plan from Gov. Kim Reynolds to direct tax dollars to private school tuition assistance.

Reynolds has said the proposal would provide choices for Iowa parents who can’t otherwise afford a private school, but opponents say it takes tax dollars away from already struggling public schools.

“But today, Governor Reynolds is failing to fully fund our schools and support educators,” the group said in a news release. "At the same time, she’s threatening to use our tax dollars for her private school voucher scheme.”

The group will hold events Wednesday in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Mason City and Waterloo.