A conservative Republican governor from a red state who initially opposed President Donald Trump's re-election bid has announced that their once highly-touted political career will essentially end next year.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds surprisingly announced on Friday that she will not seek re-election to another term next year and instead will step away from politics to spend more time with her family, the Daily Wire reported.

Reynolds, who has successfully pushed an unquestionably conservative policy agenda during her time in office, belatedly backed Trump as the GOP nominee in 2024 after first endorsing and campaigning alongside Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during the Republican primary season.

Reynolds "will not seek reelection in 2026"

In a video posted to her X account on Friday, Gov. Reynolds said that her service as Iowa's governor has been "the greatest honor of my life," but then revealed that she would be stepping down from that coveted position she has held since 2017 at the end of her current term.

"Today, I want to share a personal decision with you, one that was not made lightly, but comes with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude," Reynolds announced. "After a lot of thought, prayer, and conversations with my family, I have decided that I will not seek reelection in 2026. This wasn’t an easy decision because I love this state."

The impetus for that decision, she explained, was her desire to spend more time with her grandchildren while they are still young as well as with her husband, who was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, shortly after she'd won a second term as the governor.

"This public service has been an incredible journey, one that I wouldn’t trade for anything, but as Iowans know, family is everything," Reynolds asserted. "And through the years, my parents, my husband Kevin, our daughters, and our grandchildren have stood by my side, supporting me through every challenge and every victory. And now it’s time for me to be there for them, to help them through the next stage of life."

A conservative record but opposed Trump during primary fight

Gov. Reynolds, who previously served Iowa as a state senator and lieutenant governor before attaining her current role, was once viewed as a top conservative star for the Republican Party in light of her broadly successful work with the GOP-led state legislature to implement conservative policies in the state, per the Daily Wire.

That includes things like a large income tax cut for Iowans, increased election integrity measures, allowing law enforcement to arrest illegal aliens, banning abortions after a heartbeat is detected, and cracking down on "gender identity" nonsense.

Yet, she squandered much of the goodwill she'd accumulated with Republican voters when she backed the wrong horse in the 2024 GOP primary, in which she sided early with Gov. DeSantis in opposition to President Trump -- a move many Republican voters will never forget nor forgive her for.

Indeed, a recent Morning Consult survey found that Reynolds was the least popular of the nation's 50 state governors, a dubious honor she's held for five quarters in a row now, and is the only governor to have a negative net approval rating, which is currently at -5%.

Who will follow behind Reynolds?

The Des Moines Register reported that Gov. Reynolds' retirement announcement likely "opened the floodgates" for Republican candidates to enter the gubernatorial race as her potential replacement in the 2026 election.

The front runners at this time appear to be Iowa Attorney General Breanna Bird, whom President Trump previously endorsed, along with former State Rep. Brad Sherman, who strongly supports Trump. Other possible contenders include U.S. Reps. Ashley Hinson, Zach Nunn, and Randy Feenstra, as well as former U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker, Iowa Agriculture Sec. Mike Naig, and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, possibly among others.

As for any Democrats who might try to replace Reynolds in what has become a reliably deep red state over the past decade or so, local CBS affiliate KCCI reported that State Rep. Paul Dahl and State Auditor Rob Sand have already announced or are strongly considering a run for governor.