Republican Attorney General Brenna Bird teased a run for governor, posting a video to social media mashing together clips of President Donald Trump praising her and telling an Iowa crowd that “she’s going to be your governor someday, I predict.”
Bird posted the video with just the word “someday” along with the “eyes” emoji.
The video, posted Friday, May 16, includes multiple clips of Trump thanking Bird before being an early supporter. He describes her as somebody who “supported me before people wanted to support me” and as “somebody who was with us early on and she’s really become a big star and very popular.”
Someday… pic.twitter.com/hVOQHTvt7I
Bird, who is in her first term after defeating longtime Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller in 2022, was the highest-profile elected official to endorse Trump ahead of the 2024 Iowa Caucuses. And she has been a vocal supporter of him and his agenda while in office.
“Over the last several weeks, Bob and I have received encouragement from Iowans across the state and we’re so grateful for their support,” Bird said in a statement provided exclusively to the Des Moines Register. “Running for governor isn’t a decision to be made lightly. We look forward to sharing our plans soon for an exciting 2026.”
The social media video suggests Bird would play up her connection to Trump in a potential campaign. She has long been thought to be among the first in line to receive a potential endorsement if the president did decide to wade into the race.
A Trump endorsement might not clear the Republican primary field of other serious contenders, but it could carry substantial weight in a state where Trump remains exceedingly popular among Republicans.
“Washington, D.C., RINOs didn’t pick President Trump to win the presidency, and they aren’t picking the next gubernatorial nominee,” a senior adviser to Bird said in a statement. “When the attorney general is ready to announce her decision, she will. If Brenna Bird runs for governor of Iowa, there should be no doubt that she will be the Republican nominee.”
Bird previously served as the county attorney for Fremont and Guthrie counties and as counsel to former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad. She was chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Steve King.
The teaser video comes the same week Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra launched an exploratory committee for governor and a statewide advertising presence. It made him the first person to launch TV ads in the race as he seeks to establish himself among a possibly growing primary field.
Former Republican state Rep. Brad Sherman previously announced that he would run for governor. And multiple other Republicans have signaled their interest in the race, including state Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, state Sen. Mike Bousselot, state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann and House Speaker Pat Grassley.
Grassley said on a May 16 episode of Iowa Press that he is still considering a run and is weighing factors like the impact to his family and his farm.
“I’m just gonna take some time now that session has wrapped up, as I’ve been saying, wanted to get through session, and then take the next couple weeks to kind of make a decision on what that would be,” he said.
On the Democratic side, state Auditor Rob Sand also recently entered the race, making his launch official May 12.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Republican Brenna Bird teases bid for governor, promises ‘an exciting 2026’
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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