WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced on Tuesday that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1.
“While Washington Democrats fail working Americans, Republican governors are fighting and winning for families. Governor Kim Reynolds’ brave, bold, and successful leadership for Iowans has put her right at the front of that pack. She fought COVID without forgetting common sense and protected Iowans’ health and their rights at the same time. She’s defended kids and parents with laws that have kept students in classrooms and woke propaganda out. She has even taken action to address our border crisis while the Biden Administration makes it worse. I am thrilled the American people will hear directly from Gov. Reynolds. The President and his team should take notes,” McConnell said.
“Americans are in disbelief when they see how incompetent our government has become in one year, under one party rule. But for many, disastrous decision-making in Washington has been offset by real leadership in states across the country. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds represents what it means to lead with conviction and true faith in our fellow citizens,” McCarthy added. “She handled COVID by choosing freedom over lockdowns and personal responsibility over mandates – leading to real economic recovery from the pandemic. She kept kids in school and critical race theory out. And she stood tall for election integrity when Speaker Pelosi tried to steal a congressional seat from Iowans. While Democrats in Washington have failed, Republicans across the country are stepping up – and America will be better off hearing Governor Reynolds’ Iowa story.”
Reynolds responded to the opportunity.
“Republican Governors across America are leading the charge in defending liberty and securing unmatched economic prosperity in our states. The Biden Administration is governing from the far-left, ignoring the problems of working-class Americans while pushing an agenda that stifles free speech, free thought, and economic freedom. The American people have had enough, but there is an alternative and that’s what I look forward to sharing on Tuesday evening,” she said.
Reynolds is the 43rd governor of Iowa and has served since May of 2017. She also has the distinction of being the first woman elected to the state’s highest office in November 2018. Reynolds is married to her husband Kevin, has three daughters and 11 grandchildren. She completed her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in 2016 while serving as Lieutenant Governor.
During the pandemic, Reynolds was the first Governor in the country to require schools to open for full-time in-person learning. She has advocated for cutting taxes, parental choice in education, election integrity, child care and mental health.
Republicans responded to the announcement.
“Washington has lost its way under the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress. Republican governors have proven there’s a better way to govern, one that gives families more freedom, more safety, and a better economic future,” Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, co-chair of the Republican Governors Association, said. “Governor Reynolds is a phenomenal choice to tell the story of all that can be accomplished at the state level. She led Iowa’s balanced response to the pandemic and fights every day to lower taxes for hard-working Iowans and provide parents more choice in their children’s education. Governor Reynolds’ impressive leadership is a perfect example of why America needs more Republican governors in 2022.”
“After more than a year under a Biden presidency, the American people have seen the consequences of failed and weak leadership and a president beholden to his party’s radical policies, leading to record-high inflation, a crisis at our southern border, rising crime, and America’s enemies on the march around the world. In Iowa, we have seen what proven leadership looks like under our governor and my friend, Kim Reynolds, someone who is cutting taxes, expanding opportunity, and standing up for our students and families. I can’t think of a better person to make the case for freedom and liberty and against the radical Biden agenda than Governor Reynolds,” U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, said.
“Governor Reynolds is the perfect person to deliver the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union because her leadership in Iowa is the perfect contrast to the void in leadership from the White House. While President Biden ran our economy into the ground and pushed for big government mandates, Governor Reynolds showed the nation how to reopen our schools and economy safely. She has demonstrated what it means to value freedom and opportunity. Iowa is a model for the rest of the nation under Governor Reynolds’s leadership and I am excited for all Americans to hear from her next week,” U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, stated.
“Governor Reynolds’ leadership in Iowa over the last few years allowed our communities to successfully manage the pandemic. Our businesses, economy, and schools stayed open and gave other states a plan to follow to stay safe. There is no better executive in the United States to show how to fight for the average American than Governor Reynolds and I look forward to hearing her remarks,” U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, said.
“I am thrilled that Governor Reynolds has been selected to give the Republican response to President Biden’s State of the Union address next Tuesday. Under her leadership, Iowa’s schools are open, our economy is strong, our communities are safe, and our state budget is running a substantial surplus. As promised, she has advanced a commonsense, conservative agenda that protects life, funds law enforcement, cuts taxes for working families, supports our family farmers, and allows our rural communities to grow and thrive. Because of her vision and leadership, Iowa is one of the best places to live, work, and raise a family. I am honored to call her a friend and look forward to her strong response to President Biden’s failed agenda for Iowa and our country. Frankly, this administration could learn a few things from Governor Reynolds and her proven leadership,” U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, said.
“Governor Reynolds is the best choice to illustrate the contrast between the failing, destructive Biden agenda and the successful, dynamic record of Iowa Republicans. The only solutions from the Biden Administration are more government, more reckless spending, and more of the same policies creating the worst inflation crisis in 40 years,” Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny, said.
“The Iowa solutions are lower taxes, more freedom, and constraining the growth government and its infringement on the constitutional rights of Iowans. We have been implementing those solutions for the last five years and we will not stop now. The Iowa story is compelling and the governor is the right person to make that story known through this unique platform,” he added.
