Touting Inspirational Personal Story, Kim Reynolds Launches Gubernatorial Campaign In Iowa

GOP Governor Kim Reynolds’ inspirational story of how she became Iowa’s first female governor is resonating with voters as she begins her campaign for a full term in office.

The Des Moines Register writes that, “Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds is running the race as a celebration of Iowa’s values and opportunities, with her own story front-and-center in the narrative.”

Reynolds kicked off her campaign by visiting important places in her life, from the Hy-Vee where she worked as a part time cashier to make ends meet to the university where she finally earned a college degree at the age of 57.

She visited a Mount Pleasant Hy-Vee in a nod to her part-time job as a checker at the grocery store there when she was a young mother in the 1980s. She appeared at the Iowa State University Alumni Center to highlight the college degree she earned at age 57 while serving as lieutenant governor. She concluded the tour with a visit to the downtown Des Moines Tea Room, where she waitressed as a teenager.

The Des Moines Register reports that Reynolds’ story is resonating with Democrats and Republicans alike.

But it wasn’t just partisans who appreciated Reynolds’ optimism.

“She seems so darn kind and so proud of her state and she just seems like she’s a good representation of women,” Cynthia Ross-Freidhof said after the governor did a campaign stop in Ross-Freidhof’s restaurant in Bettendorf this month. “She’s worked hard her whole life and she didn’t get it all given to her. She came up with hard work.”

A self-described liberal with a framed photo of herself with President Barack Obama on her restaurant’s wall, Ross-Freidhof said she could see herself voting for Reynolds.

“I don’t usually ever vote for people that aren’t, you know, more liberal, but I really like her. I got a really good feeling from her,” Ross-Freidhof said “I wouldn’t want my friends to know this, but, I mean, I could be in that booth and I could vote for her.”