Kim Reynolds: Who will be the lieutenant’s lieutenant?

DES MOINES - Kim Reynolds, Iowa's governor-in-waiting, has a big decision to make.

Who will be her second in command?

Reynolds will succeed Gov. Terry Branstad as Iowa's Republican chief executive for the remainder of his term when Branstad is confirmed as the next U.S. ambassador to China sometime in the coming weeks. No official date for Branstad's move has been announced.

Reynolds plans to choose a new lieutenant governor, even though there is a difference of opinion on whether that should even be permitted.

The selection is critical for several reasons, starting with the fact the lieutenant governor is first in line should the governor become unable to fulfill her duties.

The chosen individual also will play a critical role in the 2018 election, assuming Reynolds runs. Although she has not yet officially announced her plans, it is widely expected she will run for governor, already having been in the job for months by then.

Branstad has been grooming Reynolds to be his successor since his return to the office in 2011, giving her an increasingly public role in the administration.

Soon, Reynolds will choose someone to fill that role.

Political and geographical considerations could enter Reynolds' equation. For example, it may be prudent she choose someone who is well-known in one of Iowa's bigger cities. It also could prove wise to pluck someone from Iowa's more conservative western portion.

But a few veteran Iowa Republicans said those qualities may not be as important as finding a partner with whom to work.

'At the end of the day I think the pick is going to be just something in her gut that she thinks feels right,” said Jeff Boeyink, Branstad's former chief of staff who oversaw Branstad's selection of Reynolds as his running mate. 'Quite honestly, my advice to her has been don't worry about checking boxes on ideology and geography. ' ... I've never been a believer in that. At the end of the day, people vote for the governor, not the lieutenant governor. ... Because you are in the furnace together, it has to be someone who you trust and will have your back at all times.”

John Stineman, a Republican strategist with campaign experience, also said he thinks Reynolds would value a personal relationship over a political checklist.

'I don't think there's any reason to believe that (Reynolds) wouldn't be approaching it the same way that Gov. Branstad did when he approached her,” Stineman said. 'And that means looking for someone who is a partner in it, someone that is not just capable of taking over if something goes wrong ... but is somebody that you have a shared vision, that you want to work closely and collaboratively with, that you want to see very involved, that they would one day be prepared to be governor, not just somebody to just put behind glass and say you break in case of emergency.”

Jimmy Centers, a former spokesman for the administration who now works for a public affairs business, said he expects Reynolds to choose someone who can work with her in the same way she has worked with Branstad.

'Lt. Governor Reynolds is likely looking for someone to operate in same framework as she has been in as lieutenant governor: a full partner in governing, crafting the budget, messaging, developing policy, and come 2018, campaigning,” Centers said in an email. 'This type of experience and partnership would allow her lieutenant governor to be fully prepared should he or she ever be put in a position to assume the office.”

Reynolds reportedly has spoken with many individuals about the position. Reynolds has not said when she will name her first mate.

'In working for Lt. Gov. Reynolds, I can tell you that she has an eye for talent. She visits all 99 Iowa counties each year and meets with countless strong leaders in their local communities,” Centers said. 'By engaging with those types of leaders, and due to the success of the Republican Party of Iowa since 2010, there is a lot of talent for her to consider for the job. I suspect that she is likely talking to a wide range of people and I wouldn't expect a decision to be revealed until the official transition is imminent.”

Still, there remains a question of whether Reynolds should be able to choose a lieutenant governor at all.

The Iowa Constitution and state law are not clear on whether a replacement governor should select a new lieutenant governor. The governor is given clear authority to fill a vacancy for lieutenant governor, but the disagreement is over whether a promoted lieutenant governor becomes a full-fledged governor or just an acting governor.

The Branstad administration contends Reynolds will gain all the authority of a governor and thus have the ability to name a lieutenant governor. The offices of the state attorney general and secretary of state are in agreement.

But Iowa Sen. David Johnson, a former Republican turned independent from Ocheyedan, has written the Attorney General's Office asking for clarification.

Johnson said his concern is that if Reynolds is allowed to name her lieutenant governor and something were to happen to her, an individual who was not elected by Iowans could become governor.

The next position in Iowa's line of succession is the president of the Senate, a position currently held by state Sen. Jack Whitver, a Republican from Ankeny.

'It raises the prospect of an unelected official theoretically becoming governor,” Johnson said. 'You could have somebody who's never been in an election. Plus, the political implications of setting that person up for a future run for governor.”

Possible lieutenant governor picks

Based on conversations with dozens of Iowa Republicans and political insiders, here are some possible choices for Kim Reynolds' lieutenant governor and their qualifications:

Adam Gregg

Gregg's name came up often in discussions with Iowa Republican political insiders. The 33-year-old native of Hawarden in northwest Iowa is a lawyer by trade and has served as the state's public defender since being appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad in late 2014. He ran for state attorney general in 2014. Although he lost to longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller, in the process, Gregg gained experience running a statewide campaign.

Before serving as public defender, Gregg was policy adviser and liaison to the Legislature for the Branstad administration during the 2013 and 2014 sessions.

Jeff Boeyink, a former Branstad chief of staff who oversaw the selection of Reynolds as his running mate, said Gregg and Reynolds worked well together in the administration.

Bill Northey

Northey has served as Iowa's secretary of agriculture since 2007; he is serving is third four-year term. That gives the 57-year-old a decade of experience serving in statewide office and running statewide campaigns. And he is well-regarded as an agricultural leader. Like so many Iowa Republicans in statewide office, he travels to each of the state's 99 counties each year.

Northey, of Spirit Lake, may have run for governor himself but decided against it after the announcement that Reynolds would fill in as governor for a couple of years before the 2018 election. Northey immediately said he would not run for governor in a Republican primary against Reynolds and said he would consider serving as her lieutenant governor if asked.

Peter Cownie

A state legislator from West Des Moines, the 36-year-old Cownie has served in the Legislature since 2009 and chaired committees on state government and commerce. Cownie comes from a politically active family: His father, James Cownie, a businessman and developer, has donated more than $600,000 to Iowa campaigns and political organizations since 2003 and is a second cousin of Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie.

Zach Nunn

Nunn is a relatively new legislator; the 37-year-old from Bondurant was first elected in 2014. Nunn has military experience: He is a major with the U.S. Air Force serving with the Iowa Air National Guard and did three overseas tours, according to his legislative biography.

Bill Anderson

Anderson is a 40-year-old state senator from Pierson with extensive political experience. He is a policy adviser to U.S. Rep. Steve King, who has represented western Iowa in Congress since 2003. Anderson also has military experience, having served in the Iowa U.S. Army National Guard from 1994 to 2002. The Sioux City native chairs the Iowa Senate committee on commerce.

Chris McGowan

McGowan is president of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce, a post formerly held by current state economic development director Debi Durham. The 50-year-old McGowan served in the U.S. Air National Guard, and after graduating from law school, he worked part time in the civil and criminal divisions of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Detroit. He has been president of the Siouxland chamber since 2011.