Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds tried to thread the needle on Ukraine during the Republican State of the Union rebuttal, signaling support for its self-defense while blaming President Joe Biden for emboldening Russia.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll Americans must stand united in solidarity with the brave people of Ukraine as they courageously defend their country against [Russian President Vladimir] Putin\u2019s tyranny and fight for their freedom,\u201d Reynolds said, wearing a pin bearing the U.S. and Ukraine flags.<\/p>\n
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has exposed faultlines among Republicans<\/a>, complicating their efforts to counter-message Biden’s handling of the issue. <\/p>\n Reynolds criticized the Biden administration\u2019s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan last year and suggested it was symbolic of the president\u2019s misguided approach to global affairs.<\/p>\n \u201cWeakness on the world stage has a cost, and the president’s approach to foreign policy has consistently been too little, too late,\u201d she said before pivoting to domestic issues. \u201cWe can\u2019t project strength abroad if we are weak at home.\u201d<\/p>\n Like other Republicans in recent months, Reynolds tied the pocketbook issues of inflation and rising gas prices to older voters\u2019 memories of the Carter era.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of moving America forward, it feels like President Biden and his party have sent us back in time to the late \u201870s and early \u201880s when runaway inflation was hammering families, a violent crime wave was crashing on our cities, and the Soviet army was trying to redraw the world map,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Reynolds also tried to paint Biden as out of step with the image he presented on the campaign trail.<\/p>\n \u201cThe American people are left to feel like they\u2019re the enemy,\u201d she said. \u201cThis is not the same country it was a year ago. The president tried to paint a different picture tonight, but his actions over the last 12 months don\u2019t match the rhetoric.\u201d<\/p>\n The speech was something of a showcase for Reynolds, who in 2017 became the first female governor of Iowa who is up for reelection this fall. She said that governors like herself and others are providing a counterweight to the federal government.<\/p>\n \u201cRepublican governors and legislators are showing America what conservative leadership looks like,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Hours before her televised speech, Reynolds signed legislation to phase in a 3.9 percent flat income tax<\/a> \u2014 a substantial overhaul in the state\u2019s tax system. She pointed to that new law as an example of how Republican lawmakers are presenting an alternative to their Democratic counterparts.<\/p>\n \u201cRepublicans may not have the White House, but we are doing what we can to fill the leadership vacuum,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Reynolds has drawn plaudits from Republicans for her approach to many of the public health restrictions that have become cultural flash points in the pandemic era, while also advancing conservative priorities on taxes and social issues.<\/p>\n \u201cIowa was the first state in the nation to require that schools open their doors,\u201d she said. \u201cKeeping schools open is only the start of the pro-parent, pro-family revolution that Republicans are leading in Iowa and states across this country.\u201d<\/p>\n She leaned on education issues \u2014 an area where Republicans believe they have a winning message heading into the midterm elections \u2014 including appealing to parents who are upset with the direction of their children\u2019s schooling.<\/p>\n Reynolds has enjoyed strong public approval ratings<\/a> from Iowans. She was underwater with voters in a March 2021 survey<\/a> but has since rebounded.<\/p>\n She has even been mentioned as a potential running mate<\/a> if former President Donald Trump chooses to run in 2024.<\/p>\n