Terry Branstad will be resigning from his governor position today as he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Monday to become the U.S. Ambassador to China.

State Representative Jarad Klein ® comments on the senate confirmation, “I think him being confirmed as ambassador shows that he does have quite a bit of knowledge and understanding of the issues and a lot of national support to go forth and do this. I think a lot of the history there that he has with the current president over there is going to be beneficial not just for the country but for Iowa as well. I’m very optimistic for the future of what he’s going to do. I know there’s already Iowa companies, there’s actually some local, that are already talking about new deals and new things we can do economic development-wise, before it was even confirmed by the full Senate. So I think there’s a great outlook here we have going forward. And it’s an exciting time for him and an exciting time for Iowa.”

Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds will be sworn in as governor following Branstad’s resignation. State Senator Kevin Kinney gives his opinion on Reynold’s upcoming role as governor, “I’m concerned that she’s going to have some of the same policies and the same agenda that Governor Branstad had. She has been with him now for a number of years, and it concerns me.” There’s been no clues as to who will become the next lieutenant governor, and there’s been arguments on whether Reynolds should have the power to appoint this person. The Attorney General’s Office issued a statement on May 1 that although Reynolds will assume all the powers and duties of governor, she doesn’t have the legal authority to appoint a new lieutenant. Kinney says he thinks Reynolds doesn’t have the authority to select a new lieutenant governor, but it is up for discussion.