Kim Reynolds set to step into role if Branstad becomes ambassador.
What happens if the governor who’s been called “as Iowa as Iowa itself” leaves the state?
With longtime Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad nominated by President-elect Donald Trump as ambassador to China, Iowa small businesses may worry about losing an ally in the statehouse. But NFIB/Iowa State Director Kristin Failor says his replacement is also strong on business issues.
“Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds has been a long friend of small business, leading back to her time when she was a state senator. The outlook still looks very good for small business in dealing with the governor’s office.”
Reynolds lives in Osceola, about 50 miles south of Des Moines, and has been lieutenant governor since 2010. She was a county treasurer before becoming state senator.
The elevation of Branstad to ambassador could also help Iowa’s manufacturers and farmers looking to export goods to China. Iowa already exports more to China than to any other country besides Canada, according to Bloomberg News.
Branstad “cares deeply about business and agriculture,” Tom Vilsack, former governor and current agriculture secretary, told the Des Moines Register. “He’s a promoter, and that’s what ambassadors do.”
