DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The Latest on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ selection of an acting lieutenant governor (all times local):
___
1 p.m.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Acting Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg are hitting the road.
Reynolds’ staff says the pair will have public events Thursday and Friday around the state.
They’ll appear at an event Thursday night in Osceola. They’ll attend events Friday in Hawarden, Mason City, Cedar Rapids and Davenport.
Reynolds announced Gregg as her acting lieutenant governor Thursday in her new formal office. She was sworn in Wednesday as Iowa’s 43rd governor.
Reynolds will serve as governor through January 2019. She is expected to launch her own gubernatorial campaign in 2018 with Gregg as a running mate.
___
11:35 a.m.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says Gov. Kim Reynolds’ decision to name Adam Gregg as acting lieutenant governor resolves legal questions about the position because Gregg isn’t in line to become governor if Reynolds can’t complete the term.
Miller told reporters Thursday the succession issue was fundamental to his legal opinion this month that Reynolds could not appoint a formal lieutenant governor. Senate President Jack Whitver would become governor if Reynolds leaves office before January 2019.
Miller also said Gregg’s title is acting lieutenant governor.
Reynolds announced the 34-year-old Gregg as her administration’s No. 2 leader at a press conference Thursday.
___
10 a.m.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has named Republican attorney Adam Gregg as her administration’s No. 2 leader while seeking to avoid a lawsuit over whether she has the power to name a new lieutenant governor.
Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller advised this month that the Iowa Constitution would not give Reynolds the power to name a new lieutenant governor after she succeeded Gov. Terry Branstad.
Miller’s opinion angered Reynolds, who had indicated she might appoint a new lieutenant even if it risked a legal challenge.
Reynolds said Thursday that Gregg would be the “acting lieutenant governor.”
Gregg will collect the lieutenant governor’s salary of $103,000 but not be in the line of succession. That means Senate President Jack Whitver would become governor if Reynolds leaves office before January 2019.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.