10 Reasons Kim Reynolds needs voted out of office

by Sondra Wilson. 2/6/2025

1. Kim Reynolds supports Government Corruption

In 2023 Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 478, which State Auditor Rob Sand called, “[T]he worst pro-corruption bill in Iowa history…. It will allow insiders to play fast and loose with Iowans’ tax dollars because those very same people will be able to deny the auditor’s office access to the records necessary to expose them.” The law blocks the state auditor’s office from suing another statewide officeholder or executive branch agency, department, board or commission to enforce a subpoena for documents.

Instead, disputes between the state auditor’s office and other state entities will be decided by a three-person arbitration panel, with one member picked by the auditor’s office, the second member picked by the agency being audited and the third member picked by the governor. The board’s decision will be final.

Sand said replacing the judicial process with an arbitration panel eliminates checks and balances that allow the auditor to uncover waste and fraud within government.

“Every Iowan should be alarmed if a politician replaces independent courts with a decision panel they control.‘” Sand said in a May 11 statement. “All the supporters of this bill have worked out is a way to hide waste and corruption, without any pesky independent auditors or independent courts in the way,” (Gruber-Miller 2023). 

2. She misallocated funds prior to passing the pro-corruption bill

Kim spent $450,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay salaries for 21 staff members for three months, concealing the spending by passing it through the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

State Auditor Rob Sand said a review of the state’s payroll system shows the money was used to pay the Republican governor’s office staff, but it’s unclear why she took federal money to pay the salaries.

Sand said he had asked Reynolds’ office twice for documentation to support the spending and was told the governor’s staff members during March, April, May and June of 2020 were fully focused on responding to Covid-19 and protecting Iowa but never provided proof of the expenditure on the Covid response. (Associated Press 2021).

3. She shovels public tax dollars into private religious institutions

On January 24, 2023 Governor Reynolds signed House File 68 into law, which now shovels $345 million tax dollars per year into private, religious institutions. HF 68 violates a core tenet of American government, what Thomas Jefferson called “a wall of separation between church and state” (Gruber-Miller 2023).

84 percent of Iowa’s private schools are religiously affiliated. Of these religious schools, 55 percent identify as Catholic, 20 percent as Christian and 11 percent as Lutheran. There is one Islamic school. (Meyer 2023).

A Governor cannot uphold the Constitution and simultaneously violate its core tenets.

4. Kim thinks Fetal Rights are more important than Human Rights

Kim called protecting unborn human lives “the most important human rights cause of our time” (Governor Kim Reynolds 2023). She couldn’t be more out of touch. She thinks the rights of fetuses are more important than women’s rights or LGBT+ rights (e.g. the right to be free from discrimination). When it comes to the right to abortion, Kim sounds lot like an animal rights extremist. She thinks her “very strong beliefs” about the consciousness of fetuses entitles her to trample the rights of other people. It is no different than a vegetarian yelling at someone for eating a hamburger because they *believe very strongly* that the animal’s rights are more important than human rights. Yes, animal rights extremists are probably the last type of people that fetal rights extremists would like to be compared to, but the fact is that is exactly what they sound like to rational Iowans who (1) support respect for women, and (2) realize that fetal rights is definitely not “the most important human rights cause of our time”. What a crock.

5. Mr. Kim Reynolds supports misgendering people (aka harassment)

When it comes to stoking the flames of bigotry against transgender people, Mr. Kim Reynolds is first in line. Although he tries to convey himself as a champion for women, instead (1) he supports violating women’s right to abortion, and (2) he incites harassment against transgender women by referring to them as men (Pfannenstiel 2025). It is okay to talk the topic of fairness when it comes to women’s sports, but to do it in a way that encourages people to harass transgender women, is to support abuse of women. If you’re a champion for women, you gotta be champion for all women. Transgender Iowans are due a public apology from Kim. Until then, I, for one, will likely continue to misgender him.

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References

Associated Press. (November 16 2021). Iowa governor improperly used $450,000 in Covid funds for salaries, audit finds. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iowa-governor-improperly-used-450000-covid-funds-salaries-audit-finds-rcna5753

Governor Kim Reynolds. (July 14, 2023). Governor Reynolds signs heartbeat bill into law. https://governor.iowa.gov/press-release/2023-07-14/gov-reynolds-signs-heartbeat-bill-law

Gruber-Miller, Stephen. (June 1, 2023). Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law restricting Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand’s powers. Des Moines Register. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2023/06/01/iowa-gov-kim-reynolds-signs-law-restricting-auditor-rob-sand-access-to-personal-information-courts/70203728007/

 Gruber-Miller, Stephen, and Katie Akin. Jubilant Kim Reynolds Signs Iowa’s Seismic ‘School Choice’ Bill into Law. The Des Moines Register, 25 Jan. 2023, www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2023/01/24/iowa-governor-kim-reynolds-signs-school-choice-scholarships-education-bill-into-law/69833074007/. 

Meyer, Virginia. “School Funding Plan Compels Government Support of Religion.” Log In, 19 Jan. 2023, www.thegazette.com/letters-to-the-editor/school-funding-plan-compels-government-support-of-religion/.

Pfannenstiel, Brianne. February 6, 2025).Kim Reynolds applauds Trump in DC as he signs order blocking trans girls from female sports. The Des Moines Register. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2025/02/06/kim-reynolds-joins-donald-trump-signs-executive-order-targeting-transgender-athletes/78261828007/