(Radio Iowa) – Republican Randy Feenstra says property tax reform is a priority for Iowa voters and he’ll work to lower residential, business and industrial property taxes and freeze them if he’s elected governor.  “We have to make sure that seniors can stay in their houses, but I also understand that when you give more money back to families and businesses, that’s how they grow and that’s how our economy will grow,” Feenstra said. “…I’m a fiscal hawk — anything that we can do to reduce taxes. As you know, I wrote and passed the largest tax reduction in Iowa history. I also helped and wrote the largest tax reduction in U.S. history and so I know a lot about taxes and for me it’s all about how you can grow an economy.”

Feenstra was a state senator for 12 years and is currently in the middle of his third term in the U.S. House. He’s on the House tax-writing committee that worked on President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. In 2018, Feenstra was chair of the Iowa Senate’s Ways and Means Committee when Republicans passed a nearly two-point-nine billion dollar reduction in state income taxes for individuals and corporations. Feenstra, who formally launched his campaign for governor yesterday (Tuesday), says ensuring access to health care, particularly in rural Iowa, is a concern.

“I was a volunteer EMT for 15 years. I know how important it is for that ambulance to be there within minutes of having a heart attack or a stroke.” Feenstra is emphasizing his Iowa roots. “I’m a fourth generation Iowan, grew up in northwest Iowa, right in the small town of Hull. Threw the paper route and worked at the local bakery, met my wonderful wife at the Pizza Ranch. We’ve been married 33 wonderful years and have four wonderful children that all went to the same school I did,” Feenstra says. “You know, for me, it’s all about making sure that Iowans can live the American dream just like I did.”

Feenstra began laying the groundwork for a campaign for governor shortly after Governor Kim Reynolds announced in April that she would not seek reelection. Feenstra has talked about the angst Iowans feel about young people leaving the state after high school and has suggested it’s time to emphasize vocational education programs. Feenstra says one of his goals as governor would be to ensure Iowa has a world class education system.

“We have to make sure that our kids are getting the fundamentals in education. We have to teach the ABCs and not DEI,” Feenstra said. “We have to make sure that every child has a quality education, from preschool all the way through community colleges to our universities.” Feenstra supports the state’s Education Savings Account program that gives parents state tax dollars to cover their child’s private school tuition and other expenses. Feenstra says he’s willing to discuss extending the state payment to parents who homeschool their children.

The video Feenstra’s campaign released Tuesday morning took aim at State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who’s running for governor and suggested Sand is a pretender who is secretly liberal. During an interview with Radio Iowa, Feenstra says he’s the best Republican to face Sand in the 2026 General Election. “I can win. I’ve done it. I worked at a great business, the Foreign Candy Company. I understand how important it is to make sure you sell our state,” Feenstra said. “You know, now I’m at the federal level, working with Trump…I continue to deliver each and every time and I will deliver results for Iowa when I’m governor.”

Emily O’Brien, a spokesperson for Sand, says Feenstra spent half his launch video misleading Iowans about Rob Sand and O’Brien says Sand has a message that’s resonating with voters across the political spectrum. Three other Republicans have been running for governor the past few months. Two of them have been openly questioning why Feenstra had not been making public appearances around the state and campaigning for governor.