Sen. Chris Cournoyer appointed Iowa lieutenant governor
Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Monday that Sen. Chris Cournoyer would be her new lieutenant-governor, filling the position left vacant by former Lt. Adam Gregg left the position of Lieutenant Governor in September.
After months of consideration, the governor chose Cournoyer as her nominee. She is a LeClaire Republican and has been a state Senator since 2019. Her work on education and technology was cited by the governor.
Reynolds explained that “her first instinct was not to ask ‘why’ things didn’t work right or to complain but to actually get into the situation and fix it herself.” “She is responsible, gets dirty and does the job. The people of Iowa could not ask for anything more from a lieutenant-governor, and I can’t either.
Cournoyer officially became lieutenant-governor on Monday after Chief Justice Susan Christensen of the Iowa Supreme Court administered the oath. She thanked Reynolds and expressed her readiness to serve the state as the executive branch.
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Cournoyer stated, “It is an honor and a little surreal to stand at this podium in my role as Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor.” “… It is an honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously. Iowans should be assured that this will never change. This is why I’d like to thank you Governor. “Thank you, Governor Reynolds for putting your trust in me.”
Cournoyer, in addition to his service in the Iowa Senate was a former president of Pleasant Valley Community Schools District School Board and member of Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. He also worked as a consultant for the technology division at Andersen Consulting, a Chicago-based firm which later became Accenture.
Reynolds praised Cournoyer for her experience in these positions, and said she would play an important part as lieutenant-governor in tackling such issues as artificial intelligence and expanding STEM in Iowa schools.
Reynolds stated at a news conference in the Governor’s Office on Monday that Chris’ qualifications went far beyond an impressive résumé. “I believe that they really get to the core of what it means to be a Lieutenant Governor.” She’s someone Iowans could trust to be governor in the event that I was unable to. I am completely confident in her character and judgment. These same qualities also make her ideal to be a part of my team.”
Cournoyer is Reynolds’ second in command for the rest of her current term, which will last until 2026, the date of the next Iowa governor’s election. Reynolds hasn’t made an announcement about a reelection bid, but she is expected run again in the next election.
Cournoyer officially became lieutenant-governor on Monday after Chief Justice Susan Christensen of the Iowa Supreme Court administered the oath. She thanked Reynolds and expressed her readiness to serve the state as the executive branch.
Cournoyer stated, “It is an honor and a little surreal to stand at this podium in my role as Iowa’s Lieutenant Governor.” “… It is an honor and a responsibility that I take very seriously. Iowans should be assured that this will never change. This is why I’d like to thank you Governor. “Thank you, Governor Reynolds for putting your trust in me.”
Iowa Republicans and State Leaders congratulated Cournoyer on her appointment. Senate Majority leader Jack Whitver said in a statement released Monday that Cournoyer “proved herself over the past 6 years as an intelligent, capable conservative”.
Whitver stated that “during her tenure as Iowa Senator, she was an advocate for legislation to protect Second Amendment rights, law enforcement protections, historic income tax reductions, and all other conservative priorities the Senate has advanced.” “She will miss her, but I’m happy for her. I look forward watching her success in her new role of Lieutenant Governor.”
The governor assigns duties to the lieutenant-governor in addition to her role as a member of the succession line for the governorship. Gregg’s role included initiatives such as the Empower Rural Iowa Initiative.
Gregg, the Iowa Bankers Association president and CEO who resigned as lieutenant-governor in September, stated that he left public office so he could spend more time with family. He held the position ever since Reynolds was elected in 2017, after former Governor. Terry Branstad left his position as governor to become the U.S. Ambassador to China for President-elect Donald Trump’s first term.
Gregg’s role was restricted when Reynolds appointed him as the executive second in command of the state, Reynolds Reynolds, in May 2017. Tom Miller, a former Attorney General of Iowa, issued a legal opinion stating that Reynolds technically had not vacated Branstad’s position when she became governor. This meant that Reynolds could not formally nominate her own lieutenant-governor. Gregg didn’t officially assume the position until both he and Reynolds were re-elected in 2018.
Reynolds didn’t face the same difficulties in filling Gregg’s position in 2024 because Reynolds, having won reelection to her governorship in 2022, had the authority to fill the vacancy until the end of her tenure. Iowans also approved a constitutional change in the Iowa State Constitution in the general election of 2024 that clarified that the lieutenant-governor’s post is vacant when the lieutenant-governor becomes governor.
The gubernatorial succession is the biggest difference between being appointed as lieutenant governor and officially holding the position. Whitver, the then-Senate President, would have been the next governor to take over if Reynolds had vacated her office prior to the 2018 elections when Gregg held this position unofficially. Since there hasn’t been a lieutenant-governor in Iowa, Senate President Amy Sinclair was next in line for the governorship.
Reynolds will have to call for a special election in order to fill Cournoyer’s seat in Iowa Senate. The governor’s staff has yet to share details on their plans for filling the vacancy.
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