DES MOINES, Iowa — In a surprise announcement Friday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said she will not seek a third term in office.

Reynolds, a Republican, has held the position since 2017, when former Gov. Terry Branstad was appointed U.S. ambassador to China. She was elected to full terms in 2018 and again in 2022.

“This wasn’t an easy decision, because I love this state and I love serving you,” Reynolds said in a video posted on social media. “But, when my term ends, I will have had the privilege of serving as your governor for almost 10 years.”

Her decision sets up next year’s election for governor in Iowa as the first without an incumbent in nearly two decades.

Reynolds said she is leaving office after years of her family supporting her, saying now “it’s time for me to be there for them.” Her husband, Kevin Reynolds, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023. In January, she said his cancer remained in remission.

Reynolds, who got her start in politics as treasurer in largely rural Clarke County in southern Iowa, population less than 10,000, was the state’s first female governor. She was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2008 before serving as Branstad’s running mate, when she was elected lieutenant governor in 2010.

Iowa’s politics have shifted drastically since Reynolds first got to the state capitol in Des Moines. The state launched former President Barack Obama’s presidential bid and supported him in both the 2008 and 2012 general elections then clearly backed President Donald Trump in all three of his presidential runs.

Republicans have been steadily increasing their majorities in the Iowa House and Senate under Reynolds’ leadership, giving her ample opportunity to advance her priorities.