Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA) is expected to announce a gubernatorial bid in Iowa later this week.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced last month she would not seek another term in 2026, which likely sets up a competitive GOP primary.

🚨Just in: Iowa GOP Congressman Randy Feenstra will announced that he is running for Governor of Iowa in 2026 this week

Randy is a member of the Moderate Congressional Main Street GOP Caucus

Via: CBS News pic.twitter.com/H2FeDzX6GO

— The Calvin Coolidge Project (@TheCalvinCooli1) May 12, 2025

Per CBS News:

The entry of Feenstra, who has represented Iowa’s 4th Congressional District since 2021, could set up a possible high-profile Republican primary that may come to include Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird—widely regarded within GOP circles as President Trump’s preferred choice, if she decides to jump into the fray.

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Iowa state auditor Rob Sand entered the race for governor Monday morning. A Democrat has not won the Iowa governor’s office since 2006, giving the left long odds at being able to break the GOP’s widening winning streak in the politically important Midwestern state.

Feenstra’s expected campaign and Sand’s bid mark the first major moves towards the office on both sides and in turn make them the leading candidates in their respective party primaries at this early point.

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Other potential GOP candidates are Mike Bousselot, a state senator; Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig; state representative Bobby Kaufmann; and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley.

Iowa Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra plans to announce a run for governor as soon as this week, two sources told CBS News, setting the stage for what could become a politically tense primary contest in the GOPhttps://t.co/ck5gr9ODy7

— CBS News Politics (@CBSPolitics) May 12, 2025

From Dakota News Now:

U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra, a Republican from Hull serving his third term in Congress, filed paperwork with the secretary of state’s office to run for governor in 2026. The filing reflects a dramatic shift in Iowa politics for 2026 that began when Governor Kim Reynolds, the Republican who has been in that role for eight years, announced in April that she was no longer running for re-election.

CBS News’ Jennifer Jacobs first reported earlier Monday that Feenstra was expected to announce his campaign for governor this week.

Feenstra entered Congress after defeating longtime Republican Congressman Steve King in a primary in 2020. He previously served three terms in the state senate. Feenstra did not respond for comment from Gray Media Iowa about the filing or say when he would announce his plans this week.