Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is an American politician and diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served two separate stretches as Governor of Iowa, led Des Moines University as its president, and was the United States Ambassador to China from May 24, 2017 until his resignation on October 4, 2020. Branstad holds the record as the longest-serving state governor in U.S. history.
Governorship
Branstad was first elected Governor of Iowa in 1982 and completed four consecutive terms, serving from 1983 until 1999 as the state's 39th governor. He left public office and later returned, winning election again and beginning a second period as governor on January 14, 2011 (as the 42nd governor). On December 14, 2015, he surpassed previous records to become the longest-serving governor in American history.
2010 campaign and return to office
In 2010 Branstad entered a three-way primary election and secured the Republican nomination to run as his party's candidate for governor. In the November 2, 2010 general election he faced the then-incumbent Democratic Governor Chet Culver along with several third party contenders. Branstad won the general election by 52.9% to 43.1%. He had led in polls during the campaign and claimed the GOP primary with 50.4% of the vote, finishing about 9.5 percentage points ahead of the next candidate.
Ambassador to China
Following the 2016 presidential election, Branstad was nominated in December 2016 by the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, to serve as U.S. Ambassador to China. The Senate confirmed his nomination on May 22, 2017. Branstad resigned the governorship to assume the diplomatic post on May 24, 2017; Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds succeeded him as governor. He stepped down from the ambassadorship in October 2020.
Other roles and background
Between his periods in elective office, Branstad served as President of Des Moines University from 2003 to 2009. His long public career spans state executive leadership and international diplomacy.