DES MOINES, Iowa — More competition is ahead, Brad Sherman believes. Sherman, a Williamsburg pastor, is the only Iowa Republican who has announced his 2026 campaign for governor. But he expects others to compete for the party’s nomination now that Governor Kim Reynolds has announced publicly that she will not seek re-election in 2026.
“The obvious change is that there are now probably several people thinking of jumping in,” Sherman told Gray Media Iowa.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is considering a run for governor. So is a trio of Republican legislators, including state Senator Mike Busselot of Ankeny.
U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, a 1st District Republican from Marion, U.S. Representative Zach Nunn, a 3rd District Republican from Bondurant, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig are also frequently mentioned by party activists as possible candidates.
U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Davenport, said Tuesday that she would not run for governor.
As the rest of the potential field remains unsettled, Sherman pointed out the experience that he has running against multiple candidates when he won his only term in the house of representatives in 2022.
“I always look back to my house race,” Sherman said.
He said that he was the first Republican in the district to launch his campaign but eventually faced five other primary challengers.
Sherman said of his winning campaign, “We worked hard, we stuck to our message. I didn’t worry about the other candidates too much.”
“We won that primary race with 55.5%,” he said and expects similar campaign focus in his race for governor, regardless of how many other Republicans end up also running.
Paul Dahl, a bus driver from Webster City who has run numerous times for office, is the only Democrat to announce a campaign for governor. However, State Auditor Rob Sand is expected to launch a campaign.
