Christine "Chris" Cournoyer ( ; née Gearhart, July 24, 1970) is an American politician who has served as the 48th

lieutenant governor of Iowa This is a list of lieutenant governors of the U.S. state of Iowa. The state constitution describes the responsibilities of the position: "The lieutenant governor shall have the duties provided by law and those duties of the governor assigned to ...

since December 2024, replacing Adam Gregg, who resigned from the role in September 2024. A member of the Republican Party, Cournoyer previously served as an Iowa state senator from the 35th District from 2019 to 2024. On April 28, 2025, Cournoyer filed paperwork to run for

Iowa State Auditor The Iowa auditor of state is the state auditor of the government of Iowa, United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal ...

in the 2026 election. Governor Reynolds endorsed her.

Early life and career

Cournoyer was born in 1970 in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. She received a BA degree in 1992 from

University of Texas, Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 20 ...

, in computer science. Cournoyer worked as a website designer at Andersen Consulting, before becoming self-employed. She also previously served as the president of the Pleasant Valley Community School District School Board.

Political career

Iowa State Senate

Cournoyer was elected to the Iowa Senate in 2018 and was re-elected in 2023. During her tenure, she held key leadership positions, including chairing the Education Budget Committee, where she oversaw the allocation of funds for Iowa's educational institutions. Additionally, she served as vice chair of the State Government Committee, playing a crucial role in shaping state government policies and procedures. Cournoyer has also served on several committees, including the Education Committee as vice chair, the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, the State Government Committee, the Transportation Committee, the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee, the Early Childhood Iowa State Board, and the Research and Development School Advisory Council.

Lieutenant Governor of Iowa (2025-)

On December 16, 2024,

Kim Reynolds Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn, August 4, 1959) is an American politician from Iowa. A Republican, Reynolds has served since 2017 as the 43rd governor of Iowa. She is the first female governor in Iowa history. Reynolds was elected Clarke ...

announced her nomination of Cournoyer to be the next

and was sworn in by Chief Justice Susan Christensen later that day.

2026 Iowa State Auditor race

On April 28, 2025, Cournoyer filed paperwork to run for

in the 2026 election. Governor Reynolds endorsed her. She had helped Governor Reynolds, while in the

Iowa Senate The Iowa Senate is the upper house of the Iowa General Assembly. There are 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, representing 50 single-member districts across the Iowa, state of Iowa with populations of approximately 60,927 per constituency, . Each Senat ...

, to reduce the executive-level cabinet agencies from 37 to 16.

Controversies and ethics complaint

In December 2024, Scott County sheriff Tim Lane filed an ethics complaint against Chris Cournoyer, alleging harassment, improper disclosure of confidential information, and misuse of such information for personal or political purposes. The complaint stemmed from Cournoyer’s alleged involvement in handling information related to the dismissal of a Scott County sergeant, Josh Wall, who had conducted an unauthorized investigation into Lane’s wife, Jennifer McAndrew, a supervisor for the Iowa Department of Corrections. The complaint accused Cournoyer of accessing and disseminating confidential information provided by Wall before forwarding it to Iowa attorney general Brenna Bird. Lane claimed this violated ethical standards and potentially compromised the integrity of sheriff’s office disciplinary processes. The Scott County Civil Service Commission upheld Wall’s dismissal, citing procedural violations in his investigation of McAndrew. Lane also alleged that Cournoyer introduced Senate File 2014 (later renamed Senate File 2277) during the 2024 legislative session in retaliation for Wall’s dismissal. The bill proposed requiring external oversight for investigations involving employees who are immediate family members of a county sheriff. While the bill failed to advance, Lane claimed it targeted his office without prior consultation. In May 2024, Cournoyer published a letter in the ''Quad-City Times'' criticizing Lane’s leadership and endorsing his opponent, Chris Laye, in the Republican primary for Scott County sheriff. Lane alleged that Cournoyer was heavily involved in Laye’s campaign and that Wall served as Laye’s campaign manager and accountant. Despite the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee rejecting Lane’s complaint on procedural grounds, Lane indicated plans to pursue the matter further, potentially through the Office of Ombudsman. The Iowa Law Enforcement Academy has also subpoenaed information related to Wall’s certification as a police officer.

Personal life

She married to Kurt Cournoyer in 1997 and divorced in 2021. They have 4 children, 2 being twins. She lives in LeClaire.

Electoral history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cournoyer, Chris 1970 births 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Iowa General Assembly Lieutenant governors of Iowa Living people Republican Party Iowa state senators School board members in Iowa University of Texas at Austin alumni Women state legislators in Iowa