Statewide Iowa (Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds is touting a new magazine analysis that ranks Iowa number one among the states.
U.S. News and World Report ranked states in eight categories and Iowa was tops in infrastructure — getting credit for efforts to expand access to broadband. Iowa also ranked in the top 10 in education, quality of life and health care as well as providing opportunities for success.
Reynolds went on national television this morning to tout the report.
“What an honor to recognize Iowans that are making a difference in communities every single day all across our state,” Reynolds said on CBS This Morning.
The governor’s re-election campaign send out an email this morning seeking donations so Reynolds doesn’t “squander the opportunity to get the word out” about Iowa’s top ranking. During her appearance on the program, Reynolds talked about her own rise from small town Iowa native to becoming Iowa’s governor.
“Iowa truly is a place where if you work hard, dream big, anything is possible,” Reynolds said.
The Iowa GOP issued a statement praising Reynolds and Republican legislators for making “significant progress” on the economy and education. The executive director of the liberal group “Progress Iowa” issued a statement, too, calling on Reynolds to “stop bragging” and “start leading.”
The chief content officer for U.S. News and World Report appeared with Reynolds on the CBS This Morning set. He said the magazine’s analysis found Iowa is “good at a lot of things” like graduation rates and whether people go to the doctor regularly. He called Iowa a “developing, evolving state.”
Minnesota ranked second in the U.S. News and World Report ranking. Utah was third.