Iowa Rep. Eddie Andrews Launches 2026 Governor Campaign

Republican State Rep. Eddie Andrews has officially launched his campaign for Iowa governor, focusing on improving education, combating human trafficking, eliminating property taxes, and protecting landowners against eminent domain abuses, particularly regarding carbon capture pipelines. Andrews, who represents Iowa House District 43 and was reelected to a third term in 2024, emphasized running a grassroots, 'people-first' campaign despite being outspent by Democratic candidate Rob Sand, citing his previous electoral success against better-funded opponents. At his announcement rally on the Iowa Capitol steps, Andrews highlighted the importance of constitutional landowner rights and shared that, like many Iowans, he and his wife—Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa-Nebraska NAACP—hold different political views but maintain mutual respect. He joins a growing Republican primary field that includes U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and former state lawmaker Brad Sherman, while the Democratic side features candidates like Rob Sand and Julie Stauch. Andrews underscored his intent to run on ideas rather than against opponents and aims to build a ground-up movement to offer a new direction for Iowa. His campaign announcement follows Gov. Kim Reynolds' decision not to seek re-election, opening the race for the 2026 gubernatorial election.