Iowa Republican and former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen announced he will run for governor in 2026, pitching himself as a “faith guy” and a “Make America Great Again guy.”
Steen, a 45-year-old Runnells resident and credentialed minister, launched his campaign with an event at Berean Church in Pleasant Hill Tuesday, Aug. 19.
It kicked off with worship music and prayer as Steen introduced himself, his wife and their two sons to the crowd.
“I am the faith guy,” he said. “I’m a Jesus guy. I’m a ‘Make America Great Again’ guy. I’m a commonsense policy, ‘America First,’ people first guy. I’m the guy that’s excited to work alongside President Trump to build our country and usher in a golden age of prosperity. I’m a guy that’s honored to have worked with the amazing Gov. Kim Reynolds.”
Steen said he tendered his resignation to Reynolds earlier in the day after serving as DAS director since 2021.
He said the two had a “wonderful conversation” about the opportunity, but he did not ask her for her endorsement.
Reynolds, who announced in April she would not seek reelection, has previously said she does not intend to endorse anyone in the race to succeed her.
Steen called her “the greatest governor in the history of Iowa” and said he wants to carry on that legacy.
While serving as DAS director, Steen handled the state’s response to a controversy surrounding the Satanic Temple of Iowa.
The department canceled the group’s holiday event at the Iowa Capitol in December 2024. In a statement to the Des Moines Register at the time, Steen said he denied the event after determining it would include elements harmful to minors.
In June, the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed a complaint accusing DAS and Reynolds of discrimination.
“I’m the guy that stood in front of the Satanists,” Steen said. “They blatantly targeted our children, and I’m the guy getting sued by the Satanists for protecting our children.”
Steen said he also denied a request for an all-ages family friendly drag show at the Capitol.
“You never heard about that, did you?” he said. “You didn’t hear about it, because I risked being sued again. But I don’t care, because I’ll never stop fighting for our children.”
Before taking over as head of DAS, Steen was the director of business development at the financial services firm Syverson Strege, and he previously owned a senior level management consulting firm called 25 Connections.
Steen also was drafted as a minor league baseball relief pitcher, and he played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Batavia Muckdogs.
Steen joins a growing crop of Republican contenders seeking their party's nomination for governor.
Two Republicans have already formed gubernatorial campaigns: state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state legislator Brad Sherman.
2026 Iowa governor's race: Who's in, who's out and who's on the fence
And U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra and state Sen. Mike Bousselot have mounted exploratory committees and have been active in the state. Feenstra has moved aggressively toward a formal launch, including launching statewide television ads. And Bousselot has campaigned at Republican events in recent weeks.
The race opened up after Republican Reynolds made a surprise announcement in April that she would not seek reelection.
But the race is not as crowded as some predicted. U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and Attorney General Brenna Bird both decided against running.
On the Democratic side, state Auditor Rob Sand and political operative Julie Stauch have launched campaigns.
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at [email protected] or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Republican Adam Steen announces 2026 campaign for Iowa governor
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