Sand Entrance Kicks Iowa Governor Into Lean Republican Column | Cook Political Report

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

66% : Though Bird has kept quiet since expressing initial interest last month, she's received a slew of public encouragement to run -- most notably from Donald Trump's 2024 campaign adviser Chris LaCivita.
65% : In a statement on Monday, the Republican Governors Association tagged Sand as "another extreme liberal" who supports "guys playing in girls' sports," a reference to his criticism of a 2025 bill that eliminated gender identity from Iowa's civil rights statutes.
47% : Shortly before she retired, polling from Morning Consult identified Reynolds as the only governor in the country with an upside-down approval rating -- in part because of her handling of public education.
45% : Iowa backed Trump by 13 points last year, and Democrats haven't won its governorship since 2006.
34% : The initiative has caused a small but noticeable hit on enrollment at public schools in several communities, with the Iowa City Community School District reporting a loss of $1.3 million since the vouchers were enacted.
30% : In 2018, backlash to Trump helped Democrats claim three of the state's four House seats and come within three points of unseating Reynolds.

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