Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver Republicans' State of the Union response

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican Party's rebuttal to President Joe Biden's State of the Union address next week. 

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy made the announcement in a release Tuesday morning. 

“While Washington Democrats fail working Americans, Republican governors are fighting and winning for families," McConnell said in a statement. "Gov. Kim Reynolds’ brave, bold, and successful leadership for Iowans has put her right at the front of that pack."

Reynolds has been on the front lines of Republican governors pushing back against what they call government overreach throughout the pandemic, and it's garnered her national attention. 

Who is Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds? What to know about the Republicans' State of the Union response speaker

In the early days of the pandemic, Reynolds was one of only a few governors who did not order a statewide "stay at home" order, and she refused calls for a statewide mask mandate until hospital admissions reached their height. Unlike in other states, bars and restaurants remained mostly open. She has said moving K-12 classes online for several months was her biggest regret of the pandemic, and she has signed legislation requiring schools to offer a 100% in-person learning option.

Biden, a Democrat, has faced plummeting approval ratings in Iowa. According to a November Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll, 62% of Iowans disapproved of the job Biden was doing as president. Another third, 33%, approved, and 6% were not sure.

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"Republican governors across America are leading the charge in defending liberty and securing unmatched economic prosperity in our states," Reynolds said in a statement. "The Biden administration is governing from the far-left, ignoring the problems of working-class Americans while pushing an agenda that stifles free speech, free thought, and economic freedom. The American people have had enough, but there is an alternative and that's what I look forward to sharing on Tuesday evening."

Reynolds is widely expected to seek reelection in 2022, though she has not formally announced a campaign.

More:How to watch Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union

Reynolds is not the first Iowan to enjoy the national honor. Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst delivered the rebuttal to President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech in 2015. She called for changing the direction of the country, but the Internet remembered her for her viral reference to the folksy tradition of wearing bread bags over shoes in the winter. 

Biden's State of the Union Speech will be at 8 p.m., March 1. 

More:What the high-profile job of delivering the State of the Union response could mean for Kim Reynolds

Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on Twitter at @brianneDMR.