Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett announced his candidacy for Governor of Iowa Tuesday evening at NewBo City Market in Cedar Rapids. He will challenge Governor Kim Reynolds for the Republican nomination in a primary that will be held on June 5, 2018.
Watch his announcement below:
He was pushing a “new game plan for Cedar Rapids” and in response to the criticism then he said he was optimistic, but they had to recognize the community’s challenges.
“You can’t get to the next level if you don’t recognize what is preventing you from getting you there,” he added.
He acknowledged that a lot of people can put together a game plan, but the key is executing the plan. He said what was special about the game plan is that everyone in the community participated.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about Iowa. I’ve been thinking that Iowa probably needs a new game plan. You see we’ve come to the close of the Branstad era. It’s time to elect new leaders with new ideas that have a new game plan for the state of Iowa. You see if we keep electing the same people, to look at the same problems, they are going to come up with the same solutions,” Corbett said taking a dig at former Governor Terry Branstad and Governor Kim Reynolds who served as the Lieutenant Governor for six years under Branstad.
“So today in this resilient city of Cedar Rapids that I stand proudly and announce I am going to run for Governor of the great state of Iowa and bring a new plan to this state,” he stated.
He introduced his game plan in a new video on his website:
Corbett’s “new game plan” includes modernizing Iowa’s tax code, revitalizing Iowa schools, improving teacher pay, and solving Iowa’s water quality problems.
The Republican Party of Iowa is formally neutral, but at the same time, supportive of Reynolds in her role as Governor.
“Our party has been fortunate to have a Republican mayor in one of our large urban areas. Mayor Corbett has served our state well, both as the Mayor of Cedar Rapids and in his time as a leader in the Iowa House,” RPI Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said.”The Republican Party of Iowa will be officially neutral, and as the Chairman of the Party, I will not be endorsing any candidate. That said, I will continue to strongly support Governor Kim Reynolds in her capacity as the Republican Governor of Iowa.”
“I have always believed, in my time as both a party leader and an elected official, that primaries are not a bad thing,” Kaufmann added.
Only Kaufmann and co-chair Cody Hoefert are bound to be neutral in the gubernatorial primary. The national committeeman Steve Scheffler, National Committeewoman Tamara Scott, and the state central committee members are free to endorse a candidate if they so choose.