I still remember the town hall meeting.

During one of my annual 99-county tours, in which I was mostly asked questions, I decided to close the meeting by asking the Iowans in the room what their hopes were for Iowa. Several people spoke up, offering sound policy ideas. But a man who remained quiet most of the morning, steadily sipping his coffee and holding it in his hands, perhaps to fend off the chill in the air that winter morning, finally spoke up. His answer was simple, yet profound: “I want to leave my farm better than I found it.”

This simple, noble goal perfectly encapsulates how I tried to lead Iowa as Governor – leaving state government and the way it serves Iowans better than I found it. I know this is also how Randy Feenstra will approach every day as Iowa’s next Governor, which is why I’m proud to endorse him.

Conservative policies have allowed our Iowa Republican leaders to cut taxes, offer school choice, and maintain fiscal discipline. And conservative leadership is critical to appointing department heads and other state officials who will adhere to conservative, limited-government principles and ideals now and in the future. Iowans can look to neighboring states of Illinois and Minnesota to see what the alternative looks like: tax increases, reckless spending, and crime on the rise. Or recall the last time Democrats held the Governor’s office in Iowa when we had runaway debt and across-the-board budget cuts.

Randy Feenstra is the conservative leader with a clear vision and the executive skills to make our state stronger and deliver for Iowa.

As Governor, Randy will focus on making life more affordable for Iowans, investing in education, and supporting farmers and Iowa agriculture. He will lower and freeze property taxes, make Iowa the friendliest state for business and agriculture and deliver high-quality, affordable healthcare for Iowans. He will also deliver world-class education for Iowa kids by focusing on the fundamentals – not DEI and other political ideologies – and stop our kids from being one of our top exports by making Iowa a place where great jobs, great opportunities, and great communities keep our kids here at home.

I came to know Randy when he was first elected to the Iowa Senate. He had a top-notch reputation as a conservative with a strong background in business. I was proud to work closely with him to deliver conservative wins for our state. Randy wrote the largest tax cut in Iowa history at the time, paving the way for the low tax rates we have today. Randy also helped me enact several other important policy priorities, like cutting red tape to encourage economic growth and investing in education.

But Randy’s record of results did not end in the Iowa legislature. In Congress, he wasted no time delivering results, a key quality of any leader. He helped write and pass the largest tax cuts for working families in history, and the very first bill President Trump signed in January 2025 included Sarah’s Law, a bill Randy championed to ensure illegal immigrants who harm or kill Americans are detained and prosecuted.

This upcoming gubernatorial election is consequential. Randy’s likely Democrat opponent, Rob Sand, is an extreme liberal who would immediately reverse the wins that directly benefit hard-working Iowa families. He would raise taxes and allow boys to compete in girls’ sports.

When an illegal immigrant was found to be running the Des Moines Public School District, registered to vote illegally, and was caught with a loaded gun and cash stashed in his district-issued car, Rob Sand stayed silent. In fact, Rob Sand gave this illegal immigrant criminal his top award.

We do not want Iowa to become the next California, Illinois, or Minnesota where high taxes, crime, and unfriendly business climates are common denominators. This is what you will get with Rob Sand.

I am proud to endorse conservative Randy Feenstra for Governor. With his bold vision to take Iowa to new heights, I’m confident he will deliver conservative results for Iowa – and leave the state better than he found it.

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Terry Branstad is the former governor of Iowa and the former U.S. Ambassador to China.