Gov. Kim Reynolds bucks trend in dominating Iowa politics

• At the start of this year's legislative session, she quickly passed school choice priority.
• She also signed bills dramatically cutting property taxes, banning transgender health care for minors and a ban on books containing "descriptions or visuals of a sex act" from schools.

State of play: Reynolds' reign has been buoyed by Iowa's shift from purple to red, starting when former President Trump was elected into office in 2016.

The intrigue: Governors historically struggle to exert executive power among lawmakers the longer they're in power, Governing reports.

• But in contrast to her first term, Reynolds' power over lawmakers has only grown.
• Last year, she endorsed Republican challengers during the primaries who supported her priorities and successfully ousted incumbents who didn't agree with her school choice priority, Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University, previously told Axios.

What they're saying: "There's no doubt that she is stronger today than she has ever been," Jack Whitver, the Iowa Senate majority leader, told Governing.

Yes, but: Even if she's able to dominate the state Legislature, voter opinions have shown that her ambitions may be polarizing.

• Reynolds' overall approval rating dropped to 50% in March 2023 — a 3-percentage point drop from October 2022, according to the Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll, which surveyed 805 Iowans between March 5-8 via phone.
• The majority of Iowans, including Republicans, also opposed her school choice bill, according to the same Iowa Poll.