Governor Kim Reynolds stunned us with her bombshell decision not to seek reelection in 2026, creating the first wide-open Republican primary since 2010.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, host Zachary Oren Smith is joined by Iowa Starting Line's Amy Rivers and special guest Liz Fleming (a.k.a @LizfromIowa) to discuss how this political earthquake is reshaping races across the ballot. They examine potential Republican candidates including Attorney General Brenna Bird, House Speaker Pat Grassley, state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, and state Sen. Mike Bousselot.

The team also discusses how federal funding cuts are creating a crisis for Iowa museums and libraries, with rural communities taking the hardest hit.

Plus, conversations with Angel Ramirez, running to be the first Latina in the Iowa Legislature in a special election for House District 78, as well as Democrat Kevin Techau, the former US Attorney challenging Ashley Hinson for Congress.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line where we throw bags at the state’s biggest stories. This show is created by Zachary Oren Smith with music by Avery Mossman. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

Guests:

Liz Fleming, best known as Liz from Iowa, is a correspondent for Iowa Starting Line and Courier Newsroom.

Angel Ramirez is a Democrat running in the special election for Iowa House District 78.

Kevin Techau has career spanning military service (Air Force and Iowa National Guard), law enforcement (Iowa Commissioner for Public Safety), and legal work (US Attorney for northern Iowa). He plans to take on Republican incumbent Ashley Hinson in 2026.

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