On Iowa Politics Podcast host Erin Murphy sat down with former Iowa Governor and former U.S. Ambassador to China Terry Branstad on Thursday, April 2, 2026 to talk about current events and reflect on Branstad's legacy as the longest serving Governor in U.S. history.

Watch the interview on video at: https://youtu.be/SoZFkIKQ-AA

1:19 Iowa Award

3:11 Republican Primary for Governor, Branstad's Endorsement of Randy Feenstra

9:18 Branstad's reaction to Eddie Andrews calling for Adam Steen to drop out of gubernatorial race

17:15 Branstad on Ashley Hinson

17:45 Branstad on Joe Mitchell

18:17 Branstad on Mariannette Miller-Meeks

19:24 Iowa Caucuses

21:30 Branstad's time as U.S. Ambassador to China

35:48 Reflecting on Branstad's time as Iowa Governor

This episode was produced by Bailey Cichon.

This week, drama and policy drops in the gubernatorial campaign, Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in the Quad Cities, a Western Iowa tie to the Epstein files, and a terrific feature story on two Iowa women’s very different ties to the Iran War. And if that all isn’t enough, make sure you stick around until the end of the episode to hear about our next On Iowa Politics Podcast interview guest.

On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast that aims to recreate the kinds of conversations that happen when you get political reporters from across Iowa together after the day’s deadlines have been met. Tackling anything from local to state to national, On Iowa Politics is your weekly dose of analysis and insight into the issues affecting Iowa.

This episode was hosted by the Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy and produced by Gazette Social Video Producer Bailey Cichon. It features Lee Des Moines Bureau Chief Maya Marchel Hoff, Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton, Sarah Watson of the Quad City Times, Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal and Gazette columnists Althea Cole and Todd Dorman.

Read articles mentioned in this episode:

2:37 Eddie Andrews calls on Adam Steen to drop campaign for Iowa governor

https://www.thegazette.com/news/elections/state/eddie-andrews-calls-on-adam-steen-to-drop-campaign-for-iowa-governor/article_92586fcd-3a60-4341-b73b-a012fcfeb65c.html

6:44 Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand floats age and term limits, changes to primaries

https://qctimes.com/news/state-regional/government-politics/article_4f5f5c28-ccc0-40a8-b980-9980b769d00c.html

14:24 Running against Sand is no day at the beach for GOP

https://www.thegazette.com/opinion/columnists/running-against-sand-is-no-day-at-the-beach-for-gop/article_eb13b3b0-4566-4492-8546-0b9d21a47820.html

21:18 Grassley, in Eldridge, says leaders should 'under-promise and over-deliver' on Iran war

https://qctimes.com/news/local/government-politics/article_0249db78-5f97-42b2-a937-85c004a45738.html

26:58 Epstein files reveal new details of Ted Waitt's past relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell

https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/state-regional/article_f2c47a31-5b71-45dc-aa81-781096aad19a.html

33:24 Two Iowa women highlight stakes in Iran

https://www.thegazette.com/news/national/two-iowa-women-highlight-stakes-in-iran/article_02401d9a-97fb-41cc-8852-c6de9afca983.html

38:17 Stay tuned for our next On Iowa Politics podcast interview episode featuring ...

On Iowa Politics is a weekly news and analysis podcast that aims to recreate the kinds of conversations that happen when you get political reporters from across Iowa together after the day’s deadlines have been met. Tackling anything from local to state to national, On Iowa Politics is your weekly dose of analysis and insight into the issues affecting Iowa.

This week, we’ll cover the second legislative funnel deadline, but we also have big news on the 2026 campaign trail with candidate signatures and everyone’s favorite On Iowa Politics podcast topic: endorsements!

This episode was hosted by the Gazette Des Moines Bureau Chief Erin Murphy. It features Lee Des Moines Bureau Chief Maya Marchel Hoff, Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton, Sarah Watson of the Quad City Times, Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal, and Gazette columnists Althea Cole and Todd Dorman.

This episode was produced by Gazette Social Video Producer Bailey Cichon.

Read articles mentioned in this episode:

4:58 Iowa Ombudsman: Scott County Jail allowed woman to bang head against cell wall for hours https://qctimes.com/news/local/crime-courts/article_d217be28-d56b-4d5d-b12a-66666f81877e.html

9:18 Family Leader endorses Adam Steen for Iowa governor in GOP primary https://www.thegazette.com/news/politics/campaign-almanac-family-leader-endorses-adam-steen-for-iowa-governor-in-gop-primary/article_63311a94-0b5e-4724-9670-56e6683849fc.html

Branstad: I’m endorsing Randy Feenstra for governor https://www.thegazette.com/opinion/guest-columnists/branstad-i-m-endorsing-randy-feenstra-for-governor/article_7173b910-7ccf-4dbc-a3fd-658e3c0e2bc0.html

21:44 Stauch fails to qualify for gubernatorial election ballot, clearing Sand’s path to Democratic nomination https://www.thegazette.com/news/elections/stauch-fails-to-qualify-for-gubernatorial-election-ballot-clearing-sand-s-path-to-democratic-nomination/article_7123f925-e4e5-4e0a-8920-fb7913d53495.html

26:56 Bills limiting Iowa governor’s authority survive session deadlinehttps://www.thegazette.com/news/politics/bills-limiting-iowa-governor-s-authority-survive-session-deadline/article_e284e6ae-5a11-4c0a-8af3-3286e92ef9fb.html