Iowa Legal professional Normal Brenna Chook will search reelection in 2026 and won’t run for governor.
In April, a couple of days after Governor Kim Reynolds introduced that she wouldn’t search reelection, Chook appeared at an Iowa Religion and Freedom Coalition gathering and informed the gang she was wrestling with a call about her personal political future. “I’ve had a verse on my thoughts. Generally as you pray, generally one thing involves you, however one is, ‘Converse Lord, on your servant is listening.’ Have you ever ever prayed that one earlier than? We in all probability all have at totally different occasions, however I’m actually listening,” Chook mentioned.
Chook’s announcement that she’ll search reelection comes a day earlier than President Trump is scheduled to talk in Iowa. Chook was the one statewide elected official to endorse Trump earlier than the 2024 Iowa Caucuses. Ever since, Trump has been predicting Chook will probably be Iowa’s governor sometime. “That is, by the way in which, one of many really most revered folks in all of politics, past your state, past wherever,” Trump mentioned in October of 2023.
In mid-Might of this 12 months, Chook posted a video on social media that includes a number of of Trump’s remarks about her as Chook has attended White Home occasions. “She’s so fashionable in Iowa,” Trump mentioned. “She got here out so early and I recognize it very a lot.”
Chook is serving in her first time period as Iowa’s legal professional basic after defeating Democrat Tom Miller, the nation’s longest-serving legal professional basic. Throughout public occasions, Chook has touted landmark coverage modifications and new legal guidelines she’s pushed for on the state and federal degree, however Chook has mentioned the conservative motion has extra work to do. “I’ll stand for freedom,” Chook mentioned in April. “I’ll combat for Iowa and we are going to combat alongside one another as we work to make America nice once more.”
Chook at this time informed the Des Moines Register she’s working for reelection as a result of there’s extra work to do as legal professional basic and he or she realized from being raised on a farm that you simply don’t cease midway by way of a job.
Democrat Nate Willems, a lawyer from Mount Vernon who’s a former state legislator, launched a campaign for legal professional basic in early Might.
Congressman Randy Feenstra, a Republican who has fashioned an exploratory marketing campaign for governor, issued a written assertion at this time calling Chook “an distinctive and fearless advocate for President Trump and his conservative agenda,” and promising to “do every little thing I can to see her re-elected.”