Iowa
Inside Iowa Politics: Issues to watch in 2026
DES MOINES, Iowa (Iowa State Capital Bureau) — Iowa legislators prepare for the calendar to change from December to January, they are determining their priorities for the next legislative session with the knowledge that the 2026 election year could put greater focus on what they do and do not choose to do.
Over the next several weeks, the Gray Media Iowa State Capital Bureau team will be conducting interviews with numerous Republican and Democratic legislative leaders, key industry leaders, and the Iowans who want policy changes in the year ahead.
Key Factors:
–The 2026 legislative session begins January 12, 2026.
–This will be the final session for Kim Reynolds, who plans to retire as governor when her term ends in January 2027. She has pledged to be more active with legislative leaders with property tax reform legislation.
–Governor Reynolds angered some members of her own party when she vetoed legislation earlier this year that could have made it more difficult for private companies to use eminent domain to force access on someone’s land.
Will there be any carryover from that, or will everyone involved “forgive and forget” and move on to 2026’s legislative business?
–Republicans will largely determine what gets debated since they hold nearly two out of three seats in the legislature.
–Republicans will have two new leaders: Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton takes over as Iowa House Majority Leader, and Mike Klimesh of Spillville has become the new Iowa Senate Majority Leader.
Democrats will have one, as well: Representative Brian Meyer of Des Moines is the new Iowa House Minority Leader.
There are always more issues than time, ideas, priorities, or political willpower for lawmakers to address each year.
Issues to watch in 2026:
Iowa’s Finances — State leaders expect to take in around $1 billion less in revenues than expected expenses in the year ahead. That could make any new spending initiatives very difficult to achieve.
State’s Economy — Agriculture, in particular, has been struggling for the past few years. That is likely to continue in 2026. That not only makes it difficult for farm families, but it also could cause financial strain for restaurants, local governments, retail shops, equipment suppliers, and auto dealers in rural communities.
Property Tax Reform — Lawmakers could not agree on significant property tax reform legislation in 2025, but they have pledged again to take on the issue. Local leaders have warned them that if state legislators confine them too much, they will not be able to deliver services like their residents expect.
How much, if any, will lawmakers further limit the ability of local leaders to determine their property taxes in the efforts to reduce proprty tax burdens on homeowners? What additional policies could lawmakers use to incent communities to share services to reduce future demand on expenses?
Eminent Domain Restrictions — Legislation to limit the use of eminent domain by private companies may have stressed the legislature in 2025 more than any other.
Lawmakers may not be able to agree in 2026 on legislation that retroactively bans the use of eminent domain for carbon sequestration pipelines (Reminder: The Iowa Utilities Commission already granted Ames-based Summit Carbon Solutions the authority to use eminent domain when landowners in the proposed pipeline’s path don’t voluntarily reach a financial agreement with the company for access).
But could lawmakers agree to give a company more flexibility in changing the pipeline’s path to go around someone’s property who doesn’t want to grant access to someone else who does? Discussions have already been underway for weeks in preparation for January’s start to the session.
Cancer Rates — Revelations that Iowa is one of the worst states in the country for new confirmed cancer diagnoses and the fastest rate of increase in cases have alarmed many people. In 2025, legislators approved $1 million for cancer research and $20,000 for radon kits (Iowa is among the worst states in the country for radon exposure).
But health officials want more focus on what is causing Iowans to get sick with cancer. What can be done to limit new cases? And are many of these new cases the result of exposure from decades ago?
Water Quality — Iowa has a decades-long struggle with balancing efforts to make its water supply as clean as possible with the prevalance of fertilizers, pesticides, and animal waste in agriculture. Will future policy rely on voluntary measures, or will lawmakers mandate change to try to prevent some of this, especially nitrates, from entering lakes, rivers, and ponds?
Education — Republicans have used their legislative majorities to remove books from classrooms and school libraries that deal with topics like gender and sexual orientation that they deemed objectionable for children.
They have limited diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. They have also committed hundreds of millions in tax dollars to support families who want their children to attend private school.
They have significantly raised pay for many teachers. And they have changed policy to make sure that only biological girls can play girls’ sports.
Are there more changes related to funding, curriculum, or shared services that they will pursue in 2026?
Workforce — Iowa’s population has not produced the number of workers with the skills that some companies demand. Reducing immigrants who live in the state — those with or without legal status — could further stress staffing.
Can lawmakers do something to convince more potential workers to move to the state, more residents to acquire the skills that jobs demand, and more people who are not in the workforce to join it?
Copyright 2025 KTIV. All rights reserved.
Iowa State football has picked up a commitment from Arkansas State quarterback Jaylen Raynor, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported on Jan. 3.
Raynor has one season of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot, 202-pounder from Kernersville, North Carolina, passed for 3,361 yards and 19 touchdowns this season. He was intercepted 11 times.
Raynor also rushed for 423 yards and seven touchdowns.
He passed for 8,694 yards and 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Arkansas State.
“The (Iowa State) coaching staff is known for winning,” Raynor told Thamel. “The head coach is a known winner and done it on multiple levels.”
Raynor will join Arkansas State offensive coordinator Keith Heckendorf in Ames. Heckendorf was named Cyclones quarterbacks coach this week.
Raynor completed 19 of 33 passes for 222 yards in a 24-16 loss to Iowa State on Sept. 13, 2025.
The first month of the Iowa high school wrestling season has been filled with scintillating individual performances. Here’s a look at seven standouts who have been racking up bonus points in December.
Drew Anderson (Riverside)
The Class 1A state runner-up last year at 132 is up to 144 this season and he’s 14-0 with 11 technical falls, a pair of pins and a forfeit win. Anderson, a junior in his second season at the school, already owns the Riverside school record for technical falls with 28. Anderson is on pace to more than double the previous Riverside tech record of 23.
Urijah Courter (West Marshall)
Courter won the 2A title last season at 113 after placing third as a freshman at 106. He’s up to 120 this season. Courter is 14-0 this season with 10 pins and two technical falls. His ledger also includes a 6-5 win against Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont’s Simon Bettis in a rematch of last season’s state title bout.
Cooper Hinz (Jesup)
Entering the holiday break, Michigan commit and two-time state medalist Cooper Hinz is 22-0 with 21 wins via pin, technical fall or forfeit. His other victory was a 4-1 overtime decision against returning state placewinner Cain Rodgers of North Fayette Valley. More impressively, all of Hinz’s pins and technical falls have all come in the first period.
Lincoln Jipp (Bettendorf)
Jipp placed fifth at 138, third at 165 and second at 175 in Class 3A during his first three seasons. Now he’s up to 215 — 77 pounds more than where he started his career as a freshman. The North Carolina recruit pinned his way through the prestigious Dan Gable Donnybrook. He’s 16-0 with 10 pins, four technical falls and a forfeit.
Mason Koehler (Glenwood)
The returning 2A champ at 215 is 20-0 with 18 pins and a major decision. His only two matches that went the distance came at the Council Bluffs Classic, where he defeated Nebraska standout Ryan Boehle of Grand Island 14-4 and Minnesota hammer Joe Kruse of Totino-Grace 9-2. The rest of Koehler’s matches this season ended in first-period pins. He has already registered a six-second pin and another in nine seconds this season.
Jaxon Miller (Carlisle)
Miller is a three-time state medalist, a two-time finalist and returning state champ in Class 3A. He placed fourth as a freshman at 145 before making trips to the finals at 157 and 165. He’s 16-0 this season with 13 first-period pins, two technical falls and a forfeit.
Keaton Moeller (Starmont)
Moeller placed third in 1A as a freshman at 145 before winning a state title at 150 as a sophomore. He missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in football. Now he’s back as a senior at 190 and Moeller hasn’t missed a beat. He’s 13-0 with five pins, six technical falls and a pair of forfeits. He has yet to wrestle a full period this season.
Iowa High School Premium Rankings
Check out the Iowa High School Wrestling Premium Rankings, which are generated by using an athlete’s complete match history to predict a wrestler’s performance against others in their weight class by considering factors such as win-loss records, the quality of their victories (pins, technical falls, major decisions), the strength of their opponents and overall historical performance patterns. The data is updated every Monday, sourced from the Trackwrestling season results. Since each team is responsible for maintaining their season results, any data discrepancies for a wrestler should be addressed by contacting their coach to manage the information within the season. This includes the weight class assigned. Wrestlers are eligible to be ranked after competing in five matches at a single weight.
is
As No. 14-ranked Iowa women’s basketball (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) returns from the Christmas break, the Hawkeyes will begin the bulk of their Big Ten slate today as they welcome Penn State (7-5, 0-1 Big Ten) to Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
Iowa looks to rebound from its 90-64 loss against No. 1 UConn on Dec. 20, where its sloppy play (26 turnovers leading to 41 UConn points) ultimately proved to be its undoing against the Huskies.
Entering today’s game, sophomore center Ava Heiden leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game on 64.4% shooting from the floor, with senior forward Hannah Stuelke (13.4) and sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright (11.7) also averaging double-figure scoring.
Defensively, Wright leads the team in steals per game with 1.6, while Heiden tops the squad in blocks with 1.2 denials per contest.
As tipoff nears between the Hawkeyes and Nittany Lions, follow along for live updates, the latest score, and highlights of the action:
Hawkeyes are on fire offensively through the first quarter of play (shooting 10-for-16 from the floor), while also dominating the defensive glass (leading 7-2 in defensive rebounds) and keeping Penn State off-synch.
Chit-Chat Wright leads everyone with 12 points on 4-for-4 from the floor, 2-for-2 from 3-point territory, and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
Timeout Penn State.
Hawkeyes are on a roll offensively since the Nittany Lions’ appeal, with a 14-0 scoring run that forces a Penn State timeout.
Penn State’s appeal was successful on the foul call, but the shot clock violation on the Nittany Lions still stands.
Nittany Lions retain their timeout.
Timeout Penn State.
The Nittany Lions are appealing the foul call on Gracie Merkle and the ensuing shot clock violation.
Both teams are shooting well to start the game.
On its game day availability report, sophomore Emely Rodriguez remains out. Graduate starting guard Kylie Feuerbach is also “questionable.”
Watch Iowa vs. Penn State
TV: Big Ten Network
Tip-off Time: 3 p.m. CT
Iowa women’s basketball schedule
All times CT
- Nov. 3 vs. Southern: Iowa 86, Southern 51
- Nov. 9 vs. Evansville: Iowa 119, Evansville 43
- Nov. 13 vs. Drake: Iowa 100, Drake 58
- Nov. 16 at Northern Iowa: Iowa 74, UNI 41
- Nov. 20 vs. Baylor (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 57, Baylor 52
- Nov. 22 vs. Miami (WBCA Showcase in Orlando): Iowa 64, Miami 61
- Nov. 26 vs. Western Illinois: Iowa 86, Western Illinois 69
- Nov. 30 vs. Fairfield: Iowa 86, Fairfield 72
- Dec. 6 at Rutgers: Iowa 79, Rutgers 36
- Dec. 10 at Iowa State: Iowa State 74, Iowa 69
- Dec. 13 vs. Lindenwood: Iowa 102, Lindenwood 68
- Dec. 20 vs. UConn (Champions Classic): UConn 90, Iowa 64
- Dec. 28 vs. Penn State: Big Ten Network, 3 p.m.
- Jan. 1 vs. Nebraska: Big Ten Network, 1 p.m.
- Jan. 5 at Northwestern: Big Ten Network, 7:30 p.m.
- Jan. 11 at Indiana: Big Ten Network, 4 p.m.
- Jan. 15 vs. Oregon: FS1, 8 p.m.
- Jan. 18 vs. Michigan State: Big Ten Network, 7 p.m.
- Jan. 22 at Maryland: NBC, 5 p.m.
- Jan. 25 vs. Ohio State: Peacock, 1 p.m.
- Jan. 29 at USC: Peacock, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 1 at UCLA: Fox, 3 p.m.
- Feb. 5 vs. Minnesota: Big Ten Network, 6 p.m.
- Feb. 11 vs. Washington: BTN+, 6:30 p.m.
- Feb. 16 at Nebraska: Fox, 11 a.m.
- Feb. 19 at Purdue: BTN+, 6 p.m.
- Feb. 22 vs. Michigan: Fox or FS1, 11 a.m. or 1 p.m.
- Feb. 26 vs. Illinois: Big Ten Network, 8 p.m.
- March 1 at Wisconsin: BTN+, 2 p.m.
- March 4-8 Big Ten Tournament
Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions. Follow Scout on X: @SpringgateNews
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