funding for this program was provided by friends the Iowa PBS Foundation as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS looking Westward from Iowa's golden dome the political eyes of Iowa are on downtown Des Moines today as Governor Kim Reynolds is sworn in to begin her second full term as Governor of Iowa its inauguration 2023 from the Community Choice Convention Center in Des Moines here is Kay Henderson welcome to Iowa PBS live coverage of Governor Kim Reynolds inauguration she'll be starting a second term very soon you're seeing the Ballroom in which it's all going to happen the procession of people legislators dignitaries will begin momentarily but I am joined today for the next several minutes by Christopher Larimer he is a University of Northern Iowa political science professor and you've seen him before he was here four years ago during Governor Kim Reynold's first inaugural ceremony in this room and David yepsen long-time Des Moines Register Chief politics reporter and by the way the Iowa press moderator Emeritus welcome back welcome back David good to see you good to see you as well um Christopher you've written a book about Iowa Governors and the incumbency the power of it how did Kim Reynolds get here in the context of your book yeah so the book was really trying to understand the longevity of Iowa Governors as you said and why Iowa Governors seem to be re-elected at rates that exceed what we see in other states even other states that don't have term limits and what the research showed is that there's certainly a quantitative element to it there's you know economic factors that matter political factors that matter but there's also a more qualitative element in the sense of having a connection with Iowa voters and so the the book talked a lot about you know the symbolic things that Governors can do in terms of being out and about doing the you know 99 County tour meeting with Iowans as often as possible those types of things seem to matter to Iowans and seem to give Governors a little bit more leeway at the polls even during times when there's you know an economic downturn or some other political downturn they're able to get through those tough periods David yepson you were covering Terry Branstad during a very tough period the farm crisis what's your what are your thoughts on the importance of an inauguration and what signal it sends I think it sets a theme own for what a governor wants to accomplish is it conciliatory is it combative the inaugurals are the setting of a tone for the next four years well we have at Iowa PBS been covering inaugurations of Iowa Governors for more than 50 years let's take a look at some of the inaugurations of the past an ipbn public affairs Special Report the inaugural ceremonies of Robert D Ray and Terry ebranstead the inauguration of Terry Branstad the inauguration of Tom vilsack as Iowa's Governor as governor-elect Chet Culver is officially sworn in as Iowa's 40th Governor today governor Branstad receives a familiar oath and outlines his vision for Iowa's future this is inauguration 2011. the longest serving governor in American history is moving on to International duties making way for the first female governor in Iowa history it's an historic day for Iowa's transfer of power obviously this event is filled with prescribed Pomp and Circumstance it is a formal Affair conducted officially before a joint session of the Iowa legislature that's been convened here but also before several thousand invited guests your right hand I Robert D Ray do solemnly swear I Robert D Ray do solemnly swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Iowa and the constitution of the state of Iowa and will faithfully and impartially and will faithfully and impartially and to the best of my knowledge and ability and to the best of my knowledge and ability discharge all of the duties discharge all of the duties of the office of governor of the office of governor in the state of Iowa in the state of Iowa as now or Hereafter required by law as congratulations [Applause] our chapter in the history of Iowa will be filled with Great accomplishments with Paige upon page about how we made Iowa an even better place to live work innovate create and raise a family and then if they must they can add at the end of the chapter oh and by the way she was also Iowa's first woman governor [Applause] the world is constantly changing sometimes for the better and sometimes not we must be prepared to embrace the change that enriches our lives and let us focus on what's important but when it comes to the qualities that Define our great state let's not let the world change us let's change the world [Music] so we just heard Kim Reynolds talk in this venue four years ago when folks were watching that 2017 video she was being inaugurated in the Iowa State house because Terry Branstad her predecessor took off to be ambassador to China Christopher let's talk about the campaign that just was Kim Reynolds won by 19 points so how did she get to that threshold 19 points well I think that that threshold is important to point out because if you look at the last 10 incumbent Governors who have run for re-election and you look at their approval ratings right before the election you can set up a model to predict the percent vote they should receive and according to that model Governor Reynolds really over performed by Five Points so it just shows how you know how well she did on the campaign Trail and even if you go back to her two previous Republican predecessors and governor Branstad and Governor Ray they ran for re-election a combined eight times in six of those eight times they won by 15 points or more so she seems to be starting down that trajectory that we've seen for with Governor Ray and governor Branstad and I think the question now is of course is that going to continue and so I think you know the things she did on the The Campaign Trail and throughout the campaign or you know trying to be as visible as possible like I said um you know that qualitative element to re-election for Iowa Governors is really important so I think that that's going to help and then she's obviously running in a year that was going to be difficult for for Democrats particularly here in Iowa the atmospheric surrounding the election a midterm election with a Democratic president who was relatively unpopular particularly in Iowa was going to be difficult for her her Challenger Deitra digir okay and we're going to let our viewers look at a map of what really happened in the 20 um and 2022 election it shows David that you know the Democratic nominee Deidre digir won just a handful of counties what do you see when you look at that map I see Iowa becoming a Republican state that's the first thing that's happening all across Rural America as we sort ourselves out as As Americans I'm only struck by the fact that Ronald Reagan probably couldn't get elected governor of California today because they don't elect Republicans Statewide and I think you're seeing the same thing in Rural America doesn't just here in Iowa it's elsewhere I think the second thing K is the governor ran a very good smart effective campaign and I think the Democrats had a very poor campaign you know one of the things you notice about Iowa Governors is that they historically have been people who've held other public offices Deidre giier had not done that winning candidates tend to come out of smaller towns candidates from Polk County and from Des Moines have a hard time so candidate quality has something to do with the problem that Democrats have Robert D Ray was the last Governor to come from Des Moines that's right and you'll remember in 1968 into his primary well he ran against three two other candidates both from Small Town Iowa both from the conservative wing of the party then they split that vote and enabled Bob Ray to win with the plurality of the vote so the rule still stands that if you go down the list of Iowa Governors and where they come from Eagle Grove Mount Pleasant coming out of having a small town birth certificate is very helpful so folks just saw a group marching down this Grand red aisle here in the room and those were the members of the state executive Council we now have all but one Republicans in those offices Robbie Smith a republican is now the state treasurer replacing Democrat Mike Fitzgerald who held that office for 40 years Brenna Byrd a republican is now Iowa's attorney general she's replacing Tom Miller who held that position for 40 years Mike neg got re-elected as state AG secretary and by the way he was the top vote getter of all of the candidates who ran Statewide which is really interesting Secretary of State Paul paid of course from Cedar Rapids a former mayor there a former member of the legislature he is also part of that group and finally Rob Sand he is the only Democrat that won Statewide he ran he ran and won by fewer than 3 000 votes in his race and by the way I covered Robbie Smith at had a formal event for a swearing-in this week and Kim Reynolds was in the room and by the way he thanked her for winning by 19 points he only won by two and a half percentage points so Chris let's talk about how she pulled a lot of Republicans across the Finish Line because she had a 19 Point Victory yeah she she remains incredibly popular within the Republican Party we've seen that in uh poll after poll her approval ratings over the last six months have been consistently right around 50 percent or a little bit higher and you know we saw that with with her electoral Mandate of 19 points and so again I think it shows that she has a benefit to other Republicans when she's out on the campaign Trail because she remains incredibly popular with Republican voters in the state and I think the question that's out there is you know we always talk about voter registration in Iowa being kind of a third or third a third with Democrats Republicans and no party voters I think we need to start asking where where are those no party voters going are they breaking more toward the Republican Party David you mentioned resume earlier Kim Reynolds has a resume that's kind of traditional as opposed to the governors of Illinois and Nebraska who were wealthy people who could finance a Statewide campaign for governor she started at the county level that's right county level a state senator then was tapped to be lieutenant governor and and then became governor and and and then won the governorship in her own right twice now so that pedigree if you will is it tells you why it helps to have a Small Town Iowa background and also voters like to see somebody who has some experience in office or in in politics Bob Ray didn't hold a public office beforehand but he run for a couple positions and was State party chairman rebuilt the Republican party after the 64 debacle so it just shows that Iowans will respect hard work people who've paid their dues and they also have a real tendency to keep you around for a while if you're doing a pretty good job and Tom Miller and Mike Fitzgerald had been there for a long time and were defeated by very narrow margins so I think Iowa and still keep the hired help around if they're not down in the bunkhouse fighting well as mentioned at the onset this is a joint convention soon to be of the Iowa legislature and let's mention the reality in the state house there is now a super majority in the Iowa senate they hold 34 of the 50 seats and for republicans and that means that Governor Kim Reynolds will be able to nominate administrative heads members of boards and commissions without Democrats having any say or ability to block any of those currently we are hearing from Amy Sinclair she is the president of the Iowa senate sort of the Parliamentary head of the of the Senate and she is currently welcoming folks to this event America the Beautiful the choir is assembling and they will soon be delivering the opening ode the governor and lieutenant governor are not yet in the room they'll be entering in a few moments with their families and be taking up a position at the front of this room now we'll hear from the choir s [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] foreign [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] let's go my goodness from City to Shining us [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh my God America [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] 's control [Music] my neighbor [Applause] America foreign [Applause] [Music] and Chris were pretty far into this program and we'll be soon seeing legislators make their way into this event um David mentioned earlier about the Senate the Iowa house now has 64 members who are Republicans what does that mean for a governor to have that much of an advantage of partisan well it is a huge advantage to the governor it isn't just a tiny majority she's got a blowout majority she can she doesn't need any Democrats to get her appointees confirmed in the in the Iowa senate for example matter of fact you go back and you look at the split controls that have occurred they're not been this big and it doesn't happen all that often the problem is for leaders once had Don Evenson a leader in the Iowa house he said I'd rather govern with 51.

61 because whenever I got somebody that wants to flake off with 61 people that I got 20 people that want to leave whereas if if you have tight party control nobody gets the flake off everybody's got to tow the party line Christopher what are your thoughts about the advantage or disadvantage of having that big of a majority well it was David said the advantage is obviously with your policy agenda you can push that through very quickly the the disadvantage potentially for any governor with unified control is that there is no natural break in the legislative process if you have a other chamber that's controlled by the other party if there's legislation that's perhaps too extreme for the state or too extreme for voters it's it can be stopped by the other party it doesn't end up on the governor's desk and so it actually when you talk to other folks who do research on on Governors they do find that governors in some ways prefer divided control because it provides that break in the legislative process and and for voters when you have unified control they tend to direct any sort of ire they have at the chief executive whereas divided government divides that blame among voters they look they'll spread that out a little bit more so with unified control things are going well that's to the advantage of the chief executive but if they're not voters are going to look to the chief executive for responsibility speaking of Chiefs our viewers just saw a chief walk down that center aisle Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Susan Christensen she'll be the person administering the oath of office and now folks are going to be seeing the members of the lieutenant governor Adam Gregg walk into this venue Adam Greg of course ran for attorney general several years ago he ran the state's public defender's office and Kim Reynolds when she became governor in 2017 chose Adam Gregg to be her governing partner if you will David you wanted to add something I thought we talked about the legislature the other factor that is at work here in this legislature is a third of the general assembly or freshmen newcomers right so there'll be a little bit of a learning curve here it's proof that we probably don't need term limits in Iowa when uh when we turn over legislators like that the next folks that you're going to see on the camera here is the governor and her family Kevin her husband her children grandchildren the crowd as you may hear on the monitor here is applauding standing to applaud as this group enters the venue this really is historic a governor Reynolds is arguably the most powerful governor in Iowa history she's got the biggest margins the biggest budget budget surplus Surplus appointed all these State officials so our discussions been handing out millions of dollars in a pandemic relief this is a governor with powers of executive Authority that were given Governors back in the mid 80s she's got this great mandate so it's historic and I in a lot of ways but this is arguably one of the most powerful people ever to be governor and we're going to to now watch History being made foreign [Music] [Music] oh see can you see [Music] what so proud only we hate at the twilight's last gleaming who's brought stripes and bright stars [Music] [Applause] [Music] bursting in her gave through the night [Music] was still there oh say those that starve Spangled Banners [Music] oh the land the land of the free in the home of the earth praise [Music] [Applause] please remain standing for the invocation to be delivered by Pastor Craig Ferguson of Johnston River of Life thank you pray right after this morning I've got a few small edits from the prayer that was offered in 2019 the words of this prayer hang in lieutenant governor Greg's office for the past 40 years and I believe this prayer continue to cover our state shape the hearts of our leaders and of the people of Iowa pray with me the Creator who breathed the universe and stirred the Waters of all life Redeemer who in the expanse of all history continues to heal and restore making all things new sanctifier who in the Brokenness of creation sees the beauty and draws all things toward perfection God of many names and of all people we ask humbly in this hour for a deeper understanding of our dependency upon you we confess that we often neglect the very gifts that you have given us at times we have elevated objects and agendas policies and procedures above the people of your creation and we have been blind to the image of God on the face of others where you have created the beauty of diversity we have seen labels and objects of scorn we confess our pride selfishness and even our tendency to judge rather than follow your example to be a servant of all forgive us O Lord in our failures for the sins of action or of inaction that have caused harm to your people and sustain us in Mercy for the days ahead we acknowledge the blessings that you have poured upon us as a people of Iowa in a nation of Liberty we have been blessed with opportunity and prosperity with lands and homes with jobs and commerce we've been blessed with so much more than we can imagine Lord help us not to be blinded by the blessings that you've provided and instead see these blessings as a great responsibility to be good stewards and bearers of blessings bless us Furthermore with the courage to act in wisdom mercy and justice bless us with humility and A Gentle Spirit to love our neighbor welcome The Stranger and show Mercy to the outcast we ask for an outpouring of your blessing upon all of the people of Iowa for a Unity that binds us together in love and service and as a blessed people of Iowa and one nation under God we accept our responsibility to oversee love and serve each other in your name Lord we pray for your special blessing and protection upon those in the armed forces who put their life lives on the line in order to secure the freedom that we enjoy bless and sustain all the police and fire departments who serve and protect our homes in our neighborhoods thus the medical community whose compassion and commitment continue to provide essential care for all bless our Educators in schools who continue to raise up the leaders of tomorrow bless each community their leaders businesses farmers and the families of Iowa we also pray for those whom we cannot see clearly and we ask you to give us parts of compassion almighty God bless the homeless the depressed the hospitalized the oppressed the incarcerated The Immigrant the lonely the addict the hungry the abandoned the jobless and especially Lord as you tell us all to we pray for those that we fear reject label or call our enemy help us to see all people as beloved and sacred diverse and beautiful created in your image and now Lord in this sacred hour time of holy anointing and calling of leaders we invite your holy presence to fill this place come and lead us as a state of Iowa and place your blessings upon those who have been elected to leave specifically we pray for governor Reynolds and lieutenant governor Greg as they are sworn into office fill them with your Divine wisdom grant them discernment anoint them for leadership seal them with grace mercy Justice and compassion and surround them with peace we pray also for their families hold them steadfast and protect them uphold them in your Mighty hand through these leaders we ask for your abundant blessing upon this state and on all the people within this year and through their terms in office in your holy and mighty name amen please welcome John marrow here from Des Moines to sing rise up [Music] you're broken down the entire feels like you're living on a Merry-Go-Round and you can't find a fighter but I see it in your eyes and we gonna walk it out whoa mountains [Music] and I'll rise up rise like the day I'll rise up I'll rise unafraid I'll rise up and I'll do it a thousand times again I'll rise up high like a wave I'll rise up in spite of the ache I'll rise up and I'll two with a thousand times again foreign [Music] mountains and I'll rise up rise like the day he all rise up I'll rise unafraid I'll rise up and I'll do with a thousand times again [Music] I'll rise up high like the wave I'll rise up in spite of the egg I'll rise up and I'll do with a thousand times again [Music] foreign [Music] for you for you [Music] foreign we'll do it for you it is my honor to introduce Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Susan Christensen to administer the oath of office to Lieutenant Governor Greg well guys remember your spot he's ready I Adam Christopher Greg hi Adam Christopher Greg do solemnly swear or affirm do solemnly swear or a firm or a firm sorry that I will support the Constitution of the United States and I will support the Constitution of the United States and the constitution of the state of Iowa and the constitution of the state of Iowa and that I will faithfully and impartially and that I will faithfully and impartially to the best of my knowledge and ability to the best of my knowledge and ability charge the duties incumbent upon discharge the duties incumbent upon the office of lieutenant governor in the state of Iowa the office of lieutenant governor in the state of Iowa as now or Hereafter required by law as now or Hereafter required by law so help me God congratulations [Applause] good morning Governor Reynolds Madam president Mr Speaker legislators and elected officials justices and judges friends family and the people of Iowa thank you for giving me the honor to address you today as Governor Reynolds and I begin another term leading our great state in my office at all is a book history of previous Lieutenant governors in preparation for my speech today I looked through that book searching for a past lieutenant governor whose accomplishments I might highlight well I didn't have to flip too many pages before I realized that two of the most influential former Lieutenant Governors are here with us this morning Kim Reynolds and Terry Branstad I'm [Applause] I am proud and honored to hold the same office as both of these history-making leaders thank you to each of them for elevating the role of lieutenant governor through your incredible service and success some special thank yous are in order from the outset first to Governor Reynolds thank you for the opportunity to serve alongside you when I think of the example you've set I can't help but think of our state's motto our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain you've shown us that that's not just a motto not just a statement of our foundational values you've shown me and all of Iowa that it's a command to be executed by Future Leaders a command which you have implemented with Fidelity even under withering criticism from the media and political opponents while some leaders chose to restrict Freedom control action and compel compliance you maintained our rights prized our liberties and trusted Iowans [Applause] through natural disasters a pandemic many wins and even a few losses I have been honored to be at the table by your side learning and growing every step of the way thank you for believing in me and allowing me to be a part of your team will you all please join me in saying thank you to Governor Reynolds thank you [Applause] to my family first a sincere thank you to my parents Larry and Carol and Carrie's parents Stephen Sherry you help us serve in so many ways perhaps most importantly as babysitters in Chief not easy when you live nearly four hours away so thank you to my wife Carrie and my children Jackson and Lauren thank you for your unconditional love and support I could never do this without you and would never want to we've experienced so many special moments together Jackson and Lauren at this ceremony four years ago you were both little kids squirming in your seats half listening and though I might be a little biased very cute now you're more like little adults still probably only half listening but far less squirming so far though I saw you were on your phone and still very cute will you help me say thank you to my wonderful family [Applause] I do want to say thank you to all three of them for keeping me humble yes I may have just been sworn in for a second term as the state's number two executive but they often remind me that I still rank number five at home behind Carrie both kids and the dog allow me just a brief personal story you see my kids get dragged along to parades fundraisers and all kinds of political events and they hear lots of speeches from Dad whether they like it or not after a speech a while back Lauren asked me why do you always say honor you always say you're honored to be here honored to serve and honored to represent the governor what do you mean by that well I explained as best I could that being honored means that I take great pride in serving in this role that I take it seriously that it's a position of trust and responsibility she nodded and seemed like she understood then she said that's nice but you still say it way too much so at the risk of facing Lauren's wrath let me say to the people of Iowa once again I'm honored to serve in the role of lieutenant governor and I'm proud to serve each and every Iowan thank you for giving me this opportunity [Applause] thank you the Iowa Constitution states that the lieutenant governor shall have such duties as the governor assigns I appreciate that Governor Reynolds has given me meaningful roles to move the state forward whether it was chairing the focus committee on Criminal Justice Reform or leading the feeding Iowans task force which provided an estimated 38.4 million meals during the height of the pandemic perhaps the most important role that Governor Reynolds has asked of me is to lead the governor's Empower rural Iowa initiative our efforts are driven by a fundamental belief in the value of the rural character of our state now some may have the impression that rural Revival is all about population growth that metric is important for of course but we real we believe that rural Vitality is about so much more as products of Small Town Iowa governor Reynolds and I recognize that the rural communities that dot our state's Rolling Hills offer something not found anywhere else they're a place where Iowans can build their lives with unique freedom to chart their own course where citizens can pursue abundant opportunity in Safety and Security where you can truly have it all we believe this way of life is worth preserving so what are we doing about it well we've invested in quality of life programs to ensure our smaller communities are attractive places to live we've carved out funds in state programs so we can get more homes built in our least populous counties and to drive investment on Rural main streets and town squares we've intentionally worked to develop the next generation of leaders for our communities and ultimately for our state now I happen to be on the older end of the millennial generation by the way I'm told they've started calling us geriatric millennials which is kind of hurtful if I'm being honest in any event folks in my generation and younger expect to be connected at all times we've worked to meet that expectation through Empower rural Iowa Broadband grants which have provided hundreds of millions of dollars to fund greater connectivity leveraging hundreds of millions more in private investment fighting for Rural Iowa also means taking a clear-eyed look at our challenges and working toward innovative solutions for example Iowans have long expressed frustration with watching thousands of high school graduates walk across the stage each spring often with a diploma in one hand and a scholarship in the other which sometimes finances an education far from home you might call this the old pay and pray strategy paying for students education elsewhere and praying they come back someday our Task Force turned this idea on its head we've piloted reverse scholarship programs to help students return to their rural communities after their education and start building a life and career as young professionals thank you on the other end of the spectrum we Face a looming retirement challenge in rural Iowa in fact two-thirds of Iowa businesses with at least one employee are owned by a baby boomer the future retirement of those business owners presents a strategic challenge for our state therefore we're encouraging business succession planning and promoting various forms of employee ownership after all if an Iowa business is sold by a retiring owner to its employees that means it's not sold to an out-of-state company which might consolidate operations elsewhere in this way we're working to keep jobs wealth and prosperity in rural Iowa all while developing the next generation of rural entrepreneurs preserving our rural way of life also has to mean preserving the health and lives of our citizens we will turn our attention toward another long vexing challenge rural Emergency Medical Services as it stands today too many rural Iowans have limited access to timely life-saving intervention in an emergency we'll use creativity and Technology to tackle this problem as well with an assist from our friends in the Holy Land last year on a trade Mission to Israel I learned about the United hadsala model for EMS hadsala is the Hebrew word for Rescue think of it as Uber but for EMS allowing us to crowdsource emergency responders when an emergency occurs and 9-1-1 is called nearby trained volunteers are alerted through an app on their phone allowing them to respond quickly and stabilize the patient until an ambulance arrives this Israeli model has driven down response times in Jerusalem to 90 seconds on average we believe this concept can be adapted to help us address our EMS challenges in rural Iowa and we'll be finding a pilot program to do just that these are all examples of programs which are using new and innovative ways to address long-standing problems and challenges in rural Iowa our goal in all of this is to give Iowans the freedom to build the life they dream of no matter where they live preserving and empowering rural Iowa and all of Iowa means preserving the freedom and the values that underlie it as I close I want to draw your attention to an iconic rural Iowa attraction which has received renewed focus in recent years the Field of Dreams I love the movie and I've seen it countless times perhaps the most famous line from that movie of course is this Heaven no it's Iowa but you know the rest of that exchange with Kevin Costner's character is also profound and meaningful though it's often overlooked he goes on to ask the ghost player who's actually his dad whether Heaven exists the ghost player responds oh yeah it's the place where dreams come true Kevin Costner looks at his ball field that he created when everyone said he was crazy he looks at the rolling cornfield Beyond he looks at his wife and daughter on the porch of his beautiful home in rural Iowa and he replies well maybe this is heaven maybe it is now I'm not saying you have to plow under a cornfield to build a baseball diamond but you can build an incredible life here in Iowa you can build something that's Uniquely Yours a business a non-profit a life of your own you can raise a family and provide great opportunities for your children you can live in a peaceful place and impact your community Through service you can have it all maybe even a little piece of heaven and that's what governor Reynolds and I are working to preserve thank you God bless you and God bless the great state of Iowa [Applause] please welcome Maddie poppy from Clarksville Iowa to sing oceans [Music] foreign [Music] and I'll call upon your name and keep my eyes above the way the Oceans Rise my soul rest in your arms [Music] and you are my mind [Music] when Grace abounds in deepest water [Music] Sovereign hands will be my guide My Feet May Fail in fear surrounds me never fail and you won't start now foreign [Music] Grace [Music] and you are mine foreign [Music] Spirit lead me where my trust is [Music] [Music] being made stronger in the presence of my savior my spirit lead me where my trust is Without Borders and we walk upon the waters wherever you would call me and take me deeper within my feet could ever wonder my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my savior and I will upon your name and keep my eyes above the way and Oceans Rise my soul rest in the order and breaks the ground your and you are mine [Music] [Applause] it is my honor to introduce Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Susan Christensen to administer the oath of office to Governor Reynolds kind of good at this I know I Kimberly K Reynolds I Kimberly K Reynolds do solemnly swear or affirm do solemnly swear or affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States that I will support the Constitution of the United States the state of Iowa and the constitution of the state of Iowa and that I will faithfully and impartially and that I will faithfully and impartially to the best of my knowledge and ability to the best of my knowledge and ability discharge charge the duties incumbent behind the governor in the state of Iowa is now or Hereafter required by law as now or Hereafter required by law foreign [Applause] thank you please be seated Madam president Mr Speaker lieutenant governor legislative leaders and members justices and judges distinguished guests family friends my fellow Iowans I am so honored to be here and I want to just start by saying thank you thank you Iowans for the trust that you've placed in me and for giving me the Indescribable honor as of serving as the governor of this great state everything that we've accomplished over the last four years and everything to come begins and ends with your unwavering support I absolutely wouldn't be here without you the heart [Applause] the heart of Iowa is my passion and the people are my compass I believe in Iowa and more importantly I believe in Iowans our families our small communities and neighborhoods our quality of life all that make this such a special place I am humbled and I am honored to embark on a second term to my entire family who have surrounded me with love Grace encouragement reassurance and a whole lot of patience you bring out the Best in Me mom and dad thanks for instilling in me a sense of responsibility to leave things better for the next generation and to serve our neighbors with honor the past few years I know you've faced ups and downs Health scares and difficult decisions and through all of it I've witnessed your courage and Faith so thank you for always leading by example I am so blessed to have you as parents and to have your love and your support I love you Kevin nothing that I've done or achieved would be possible without your love and support you continue to be my source of strength and I truly am a better person because of you you are an incredible husband father and Grandpa to our 11 grandchildren and this state is lucky to have you as their first gentleman yours [Applause] that's about as excited as he gets so you know he's the real deal but your service to Iowans including the work that you do honoring our disabled veterans is appreciated by all so Nicole Jennifer and Jess you were my first constituents even though you never got to vote and couldn't have replaced me if you tried but together you and I have learned about setting boundaries meeting budgets and having faith in the process of negotiation you are amazing moms and it has been a lot of fun watching life come full circle as you go through some of your own negotiations now I am so proud of all three of you Ryan [Applause] so to my son-in-law's laws Ryan Jason and Scott you know I know that dealing with a mother-in-law can be difficult at the best of times throw in my current job and it is a whole new ball game so thank you for making time for our family's special role in the service to the people of Iowa but most of all I want to say thank you for the unconditional love that you show my daughters and our grandchildren thank you [Applause] to my grandkids you warm my heart and you bring such joy to Grandpa and me I know that I don't get to as many activities as I would like which is why I cheer so loud when I'm there maybe sometimes too loud right gave Gavin and Avery but I love spending time with you being your grandma is the best job in the world it's your faces that I see and the decisions I make and it's the optimism I feel for our future I love each and every one of you [Applause] kind of governor thank you for being such a loyal and vital member of my team I know firsthand what it's like to sit in your seat and I know that service May sometimes seem thankless but I want you to know that I know and I once know how hard you work every single day to bring visibility and new ideas to empower rural Iowa and by serving as a voice for Rural issues in our office I can count on you you are a steady partner and I'm a better Governor because I have you by my side thank you [Applause] and to my incredible team and cabinet your dedication to public service is unparalleled and paralleled you are a small But Mighty force and I'm so proud to serve alongside each and every one of you every day [Applause] when we gathered here four years ago I closed my speech by saying that the world is constantly changing sometimes for the better and sometimes not we must be prepared to embrace the change that enriches our lives and let lets us focus on what's important but when it comes to the qualities that Define our state let's not let the world change us let's change the world [Applause] when I said that we didn't know how important it would be we didn't know how much change was ahead and how fast it would become but together we persevere persevered through the lowest low and the highest highs and in the midst of the chaos we stayed true to who we are and we earned the respect of the nation Calvin Coolidge once said Calvin Coolidge once said the real heart of the American government depends upon the heart of the people and what do I see when I look at the heart of Iowans I see kindness and self-reliance I see grace and humility it's every self-deprecating joke we tell about ourselves and every effort to share the credit of our accomplishments it's the way Iowans are more likely to brag about getting a great deal than making an expensive purchase I see love of family and community of state and Country I see compassion even for their governor during the pandemic because things were changing so fast I thought it was important for the people of Iowa to hear directly from me with a daily press conference and in the middle of one of those briefings right on camera I choked up as I thanked Iowans and acknowledged the anxiety and despair that all of us were feeling immediately I was filled with regret I was disappointed in myself because I had shown weakness at a time when I believed Iowans needed to see unwavering strength from their governor it felt like I had let Iowans down but I was wrong many of you were feeling the same way Iowans flooded my office with messages of support thanking me for caring so deeply they saw their emotions in mind and themselves in me the response of Iowans that day reassured me that many of you saw I wasn't trying to make decisions for you but as one of you using the best judgment and deepest empathy I could summon in those trying times that connection to my fellow Iowans is one of the reasons that I decided to run again for this office because over the last four years what we've seen from too many elected leaders in other states and in our nation's capital was the exact opposite the disconnect between these leaders and the people who have to live with their decisions was both irrational and inexcusable what else can we conclude when States shut down schools closed businesses and restricted their citizens for two years and then characterized it as just quote following the science when our government fired our men and women in uniform for their medical decisions but paid others to stay home it's because States like Iowa had the courage and the sense to swim against the current today we rarely see public officials make the case for such policies in fact we hear denials that they did [Applause] [Music] [Applause] as scary as it sounds it would have been easy to completely shut down our economy during the pandemic it would have been easy to keep our kids out of the classroom but easy was not right and let me tell you right was not always easy but I learned a long time ago not to fear what I cannot control and to focus on what really matters two decades ago I began living by The Motto one day at a time because I had a problem and I had hit bottom thankfully through my faith and with the help of my family I Found the courage to get back up I Found the courage to become the mom my girls needed me to be and the wife that Kevin deserved heart [Applause] EST of all I Found the courage to forgive myself to let go to trust in the Lord with all our heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight [Applause] having that perspective has given me freedom a freedom to be bold and not beholden not beholden to others to elections or even to what's popular instead I have the freedom to do what I believe is right right for our state right for our children and write for our citizens regardless of the personal consequences to me over the last four years we've all reached that place together we've struggled through difficult and scary times but we've come out stronger we've been forged in the fire and it shows and the strength of our resolve a resolve to be decisive and bold to stand for freedom and to respect those we serve to lead the nation and when that next unexpected challenge arrives and it will we will once again be ready to tune out the noise and to do what's right we'll know from experience that the easiest decisions are often the ones that need extra scrutiny that what almost everyone believes they know to be true is the same thing they will soon regret over the last four years we've built such a strong Foundation upon which Iowa can continue to rise a place where children and parents come before special interest where life is protected and work is rewarded a place where families Thrive businesses grow and government is responsible to the people and this is the work we will continue to do [Applause] because Iowans want results not excuses and results are what we've delivered a national reputation as the number one state for fiscal responsibility and opportunity a top 10 state for living and raising children a strong economy with low taxes thriving communities and flourishing families in short a vibrant present and an even brighter future [Applause] in States across the country Fame wealth and good connections are required to really get ahead but here in Iowa hard work fairness and understanding are what matters and that's why I'm so glad that the Republicans will be holding the first presidential caucus in Iowa and why I'm so disappointed that the Democrats are not as Republicans it benefits my party for Democrats to turn away from Iowa but as an American it pains me to see early in her career Margaret Thatcher said in politics if you want anything said ask a man if you want anything done ask a woman now now now I don't generally subscribe to that theory I mean really men have come a long way since 1965 when Margaret Thatcher said that but if we were to refresh that quote for today I think it would go something like this if you want something done write ask an Iowan [Applause] that's true for just about anything and it's definitely true for a presidential selection you see Iowans look Beyond The Flash beyond the credentials they peek behind the curtains and Consultants to see the real person you can't buy a victory in Iowa and you can't fake it either you have to sit down with the people of this great state and tell them what makes you tick they need to see that you have the moral conviction to do what's right not what's political politically expedient because anyone can have a 10-point plan to save America not everyone has the moral compass to do it [Applause] so to the National Democrats to President Biden I say this reconsider come back to Iowa and you won't regret it and to my fellow Republicans welcome back Iowans look forward to hosting you over the next year to having you in their living rooms and to having real conversations we take this opportunity and we know it's an opportunity very seriously and we hope you do too [Applause] I know that the world is changing faster than at any other point in my lifetime I know people are turning away from their faith turning away from our shared American values and often turning away from hard work it worries me and I know it worries many of you but here in Iowa it's different in Iowa America still works [Applause] it's where real life still lives and in a world increasingly marked by uncertainty Iowa's strength and stability stand out as a Beacon of Hope so as the world descends upon Iowa over the next year let's show them who we are let's show them why we're first because what America wants right now what it needs more than anything else is exactly what we've always valued real people connected and safe communities and the freedom to flourish the road to National renewal really does run through Iowa that's why I truly believe that Iowa has never been more important than it is today and it's why I'm so proud of this state and its people and why I'm so very proud to serve as your governor so thank you once again for this amazing honor thank you for standing strong through it all God bless you and God bless the great state of Iowa thank you [Applause] please welcome John marrow back to sing when we rise okay [Music] their strength inside us [Music] we awake when it finds us [Music] I can see the light at the end brighter days are coming again [Music] like a flame from the end we will stand together stronger than ever we were born for the fight you could see it in our eyes we lift up each other as sisters and brothers [Music] though the night be dark we'll shine alive when we rise foreign [Music] [Music] I can see the light at the end we'll make it through my friend this too will get better we will stand together stronger than ever we were born for the fight you could see it in her eyes we lift up each other the sisters and brothers [Music] when we rise through we will stand together stronger than ever we were born we lift up each other and sisters mother s though the night be dark we'll shine foreign [Music] [Applause] please stand for the benediction to be offered by Pastor Mike householder of the Lutheran Church of Hope foreign John just saying when we rise scriptures say that The Way We rise is a little bit surprising it says if we exalt ourselves we'll be humbled yet if we humble ourselves we'll be exalted we will be lifted up we will rise and so let us humble ourselves before holy God In Prayer gracious Lord God pour out your Abundant Blessings upon our governor and lieutenant governor their families and all who call the great state of Iowa home fill our hearts today and every day with a keen awareness of your presence and a full measure of your eternal love satisfy our souls by reminding us to find our deepest identity and highest purpose in you for you are the way the truth and the life Inspire our minds and guide our steps through the Timeless wisdom of your word and The Wonder of your creation that surrounds Us in this beautiful land called Iowa turn down the volume on all the voices that seek to deepen divisions for selfish gain amplify the voices of The Humble Souls who truly love everyone always and in so doing build bridges of Harmony in our neighborhoods schools workplaces houses of worship and government oh God our help in ages past our hope for years to come heal the suffering in our state caused by the darkness of our sin our prejudice our absence of Grace for one another forgive us for this and bless us with courageous and faithful leaders who will truly reflect your light into the darkness opening new doors of Peace equality opportunity liberty and justice for all stir up in us then every new commitment to fight the good fight for the soul of Iowa teach us Lord to elevate people over politics principles over power and compassion Over Control protect those most vulnerable Among Us from the beginning of Life to the end bless us now and always with hope filled eyes to clearly Envision Lord what we might accomplish in this state when we work together to seek Justice to love mercy and to walk humbly with you our God and so to our elected leaders Governor Reynolds lieutenant governor Greg and to all who are gathered here today to witness this holy moment may the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace now and forever and let everybody shout out amen [Applause] thank you well Major General Benjamin J Carrell please come forward to escort Governor Reynolds and her family from The Joint convention [Applause] [Music] [Applause] this is Kay Henderson again I am in the back of the room with Christopher Larimer University of Northern Iowa political professor and David yetson the former host of Iowa press David it was interesting she spent a lot of time talking about the Iowa caucuses and in the room is Asa Hutchinson that just currently former governor of Arkansas who's going to run I think we're continuing to see Kim Reynolds position herself to get serious consideration as a republican candidate for vice president nobody runs for vice president but you position yourself to do that the talk about the caucuses the challenge to the Democrats that doesn't get lost on the political observer in me who who sees this as another example of the governor moving up moving on best example okay of what I'm talking about is she's head of the Republican Governors Association right so our governor is looking at a bigger stage here Christopher yeah I would say you know you look at her career as we had up earlier she's had that steady progression what political scientists talk about the the quote ambition ladder she's steadily progressed she's moving she's moved up to the governor's office now she's having sizable victories in her re-election for governor um that's the real question what's the next step does she just continue to serve as governor for an extended period of time like some of her predecessors or does she look to do something at the federal level yeah Applause that you hear is for Adam Greg and his family we heard from Adam Greg first in this ceremony the governor in Waiting David oh sure lie Governor always is that but I think Adam Greg has been a lieutenant governor who's been in on the ground level of everything and she he's an effective campaigner for her he's clearly learning his lessons in case the need should arise for him to assume the office Christopher what is the advantage of having been number two well I think number one is just you name recognition right you're out there you see what it gets done people get to they learn your name and as David said we've seen Lieutenant Governors Ascend to the governor's office he mentioned lieutenant governor Reynolds when she was lieutenant governor he mentioned Terry Branstad who is Lieutenant Governor for Robert Ray during his last term so it's a way to get your name out there which is incredibly important with establishing that Comfort among Iowa voters one of the things we saw RK was a former Arkansas governor ASA Hutchinson in the audience this has happened before Howard Baker for example would attend some of Bob Ray's Governor Ray's events this is a room for a good place for candidates to be and all of us in Iowa have learned to pay attention to former Southern Governors Mike Huckabee Bill Clinton Jimmy Carter this broom is a who's who of Republican leadership and conservative leadership and social conservatives and also people who worked on Governor Reynolds campaign absolutely it's a perfect place for a presidential candidate to be in there he was Christopher the entire message was obviously not about the caucuses what did you consider to be the high note of her remarks well I thought it was interesting just the extent to which her response to the pandemic defined a big part of the speech we saw that in her condition of the State address but her the way she talked about the pandemic and then her policy response to that talking about her response in contrast to what other states did regarding the pandemic that seems to be the defining policy of her first term in office her first full term in office and if it wasn't clear that was her first Standing Ovation when she talked about how she had handled on the pandemic David what stuck out to you about that I I think you know the pandemic was a scary time for all of us in Iowa the uncertainty I certainly remember driving late at night out to the network to be doing shows and wondering where all the people were and she she let us out of that now you can criticize her and she has been uh it was you all governors were sort of making it up as they went along there was no road map for this kind of thing and right now it looks like Iowa's come out of this in pretty good shape so Kim Reynolds has given two big speeches this week the First on Tuesday night to a joint Convention of the Iowa legislature where she laid out an agenda key topics that she had talked about on the campaign Trail and over the past two days Christopher the school choice proposal what's your view about how impactful it was that she talked about it during her condition of the stage but didn't even mention today well I think with the condition of the State address that's more of a policy address you're talking to state legislators trying to direct where they're going to go this legislative session and obviously that's going to be the biggest policy I think you know when you think about that education is the number one expense in the Iowa's budget and so she's trying to tackle the number one expense uh David mentioned you know she's one of the most powerful Governors we've had she's taking on the number one expense in the state they've already looked at the number one source of Revenue and individual income tax and they've redefined that in terms of transitioning to a flat tax so she's really doing some big legislative things some big policy things um and I you know what's going to be interesting going forward is how do those Define her second term and then whatever she wants to do after that David final thoughts from you on this day this week this governor oh important day for important week four and uh she'll start fleshing out more of the details of her uh of her of her program and the budget message that's where you get the nuts and bolts of what this thing looks like but clearly She's Gone Big on the school voucher plan again that's something that's very popular with social and religious conservatives arguing for educational reform so this really wasn't the place you do policy wonk stuff this is where you paid in big big brushes well I'd like to thank both [Music] we'd like to invite you if you missed some of this message today to go to iowapbbs.org to see all of what the governor said and what this you know Pomp and Circumstance is all about if you missed the condition of the state message earlier in the week you can go to iowapbbs.org and see that as well for everyone here at Iowa PBS thanks for watching [Music] foreign [Music] funding for this program was provided by friends the Iowa PBS Foundation as well as generations of families and friends who feel passionate about the programs they watch on Iowa PBS