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Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer launches campaign for state auditor
Sen. Chris Cournoyer, right, took the oath of office to serve as Iowa lieutenant governor Dec. 16, 2024 at the Iowa Capitol, led by Iowa Chief Justice Susan Christensen, left. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer announced Tuesday she will run for state auditor in the 2026 election. 'The people of Iowa deserve an Auditor who will protect their dollars, keep politics out of the office, and bring a business-minded, results-oriented approach to every audit,' Cournoyer said in a news release. 'That's exactly what I intend to deliver.' Cournoyer is currently Iowa's lieutenant governor, serving under Gov. Kim Reynolds. She was appointed to the position in December 2024, months after former Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg resigned and became the president and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association. Before joining the Reynolds administration, Cournoyer, of LeClaire, served as a state senator representing Iowa Senate District 35, winning reelection in the 2022. After being appointed to replace Gregg in 2024, Cournoyer is set to serve out the remainder of his term, through 2026. But she will not be elected to serve a full term as Reynolds' second-in-command, as the governor announced she will not seek reelection in April. Cournoyer was considered a potential gubernatorial candidate in Republican primary field after serving with Reynolds, among other potential candidates like Attorney General Brenna Bird, House Speaker Pat Grassley and Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, though Cournoyer did not announce any intentions to run for the position. The lieutenant governor's announcement that she will run for state auditor takes her out of this field as she seeks an office currently held by an expected Democratic gubernatorial candidate — Auditor Rob Sand. Sand has not officially entered the gubernatorial race, but is expected to run after accumulating significant campaign funds heading into the 2026 election cycle. This means he will likely not face Cournoyer in a reelection race for state auditor — but Cournoyer criticized Sand's time holding the position in her campaign announcement. 'As Iowa continues to cut taxes and streamline government, the Auditor's Office must lead by example and serve as a true watchdog for the taxpayer — not a political weapon,' Cournoyer said in a statement. 'It's time for an Auditor who prioritizes transparency, efficiency, and results over headlines and partisanship.' Sand is the only Democrat to hold statewide elected office in Iowa. As auditor, a position charged with auditing state agencies and launching investigations into government spending, Republicans have accused Sand of pursuing certain audits, like one into the state's Education Savings Account program providing state funding for private school tuition and associated costs, because of his political opposition to program. Cournoyer said 'an auditor should serve all Iowans — not just one party or one cause.' 'Taxpayer dollars should never be used to campaign, and oversight should never be driven by political bias,' Cournoyer said. Sand has repeatedly pushed back against claims that certain audits are used for partisan purposes. He and Democrats in the Legislature have argued Republicans are curtailing the office's ability to perform its duties, because a Democrat holds the office, through recent laws restricting the auditor's office access to certain information and ability to go to court. Cournoyer said if elected, she would take steps to make the auditor's office more efficient by integrating artificial intelligence technology into the auditing process, promoting the state's transparency portal, and making 'the Auditor's Office a home for recommendations emerging from the Governor's DOGE Task Force on modernizing government operations.' Reynolds officially launched the state Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force in February, modeled after the federal DOGE headed by Elon Musk, to identify savings and areas for improvement in local and state government. Cournoyer said she has experience working to improve government efficiency during her time in the Legislature as one of the leaders of Reynolds' 2023 government realignment law that consolidated and cut the state's 37 executive-level cabinet agencies to 16. Reynolds praised Cournoyer in a statement Tuesday and endorsed her in her campaign for auditor. 'Chris is a true fiscal conservative with a strong record of improving government efficiencies and accountability,' Reynolds said. 'Her background in technology and her unwavering commitment to taxpayers makes her an ideal watchdog every Iowan can trust. Iowans can rest assured Chris Cournoyer will always have their best interests at heart.'
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Lt. Gov. Cournoyer campaigning for new role as Iowa State Auditor
DES MOINES, Iowa — Iowa's Lt. Governor Chris Cournoyer announced she is running for Iowa State Auditor Tuesday morning. Cournoyer, a Republican, was appointed Lt. Governor in December of 2024 by Gov. Kim Reynolds after the previous Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg resigned in September 2024 to head the Iowa Bankers Association. In Tuesday's campaign announcement, Cournoyer called for the Auditor's Office to be used as a watchdog for taxpayers and not a political weapon. 'It's time for an Auditor who prioritizes transparency, efficiency, and results over headlines and partisanship,' said Cournoyer. Trone Garriott running for Iowa's 3rd Congressional District Iowa's current State Auditor, Rob Sand, is the only Democrat to hold statewide office and has been critical of the Republican-controlled legislature and Gov. Reynolds for passing SF 478. The law restricts access by the Auditor's office to certain state information it may be seeking during an audit. Sand has not made a public announcement about his political plans for the future, but it is widely expected that he will run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Gov. Reynolds is backing Cournoyer with her endorsement. 'Chris is a true fiscal conservative with a strong record of improving government efficiencies and accountability. Her background in technology and her unwavering commitment to taxpayers makes her an ideal watchdog every Iowan can trust. Iowans can rest assured Chris Cournoyer will always have their best interests at heart,' stated Reynolds. Cournoyer was serving in the Iowa Senate when she was tapped for the Lt. Gov. role. She has been in the Iowa Senate since 2019 with her latest term representing District 35 expiring in January of 2025. An advocate for STEM skills, Cournoyer is a member of the Iowa Governor's STEM council. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science from the University of Texas and is a website developer and designer. Iowa news Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa attorney general files lawsuits against crypto ATM operators
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird on Wednesday announced lawsuits against Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip, Iowa's two largest cryptocurrency ATM operators, over their failures that allowed Iowans to transfer millions of dollars to scammers through their kiosks. The announcement was made during a press conference at the Iowa Bankers Association in Johnston. Speakers at the press conference included: Brenna Bird, Iowa Attorney General Daniel Barnes, Deputy Attorney General for Consumer Protection Adam Gregg, President and CEO of the Iowa Bankers Association Loree, Cryptocurrency ATM scam survivor Charles Webster, Detective with the Ankeny Police Department In October 2023, the Iowa Attorney General's office launched a first-of-its-kind investigation into cryptocurrency ATM companies. The office subpoenaed 14 total crypto ATM companies for a list of Iowans who had sent money through their kiosks. The office then contacted those Iowans by phone and email. It also investigated complaints, police reports, and self-reported scams. The investigation revealed that hundreds of Iowans sent more than $20 million through Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip ATMs in a less than 3-year period. The majority of scam victims were over the age of 60. 'Con artists are evil and will stop at nothing to steal everything you have,' said Attorney General Bird. 'We already know that they target older Iowans, but now it seems that they even hunt through obituaries to target widows. They convince these older women that they need help, and then send their victims to crypto ATMs. And the crypto ATM companies take a cut of the profits. It's not just wrong, it's illegal. I'm fighting to get Iowans their money back and force the crypto ATM companies to make big changes. No Iowan should get ripped off like this.' The investigation also exposed how cryptocurrency ATMs profit off of Iowans getting scammed. Bitcoin Depot takes a 23% cut of the money Iowans send through the machines, and CoinFlip claims 21%. The lawsuits allege that both Bitcoin Depot and CoinFlip profit directly from Iowa scam victims by imposing excessive, and often hidden, transaction fees. It also alleges that Bitcoin Depot deceives Iowans about its refund policy. Attorney General Bird is suing both companies for violating the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. The investigation into crypto ATM companies is ongoing. If you or someone you know has been targeted by a crypto ATM scam, contact the Iowa Attorney General's office at 1-888-777-4590 or file a complaint here. Read the fact sheet here. Read the Bitcoin Depot lawsuit here. Read the CoinFlip lawsuit here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
