CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The popular mayor of Iowa’s second largest city says he will not run for re-election as he explores whether to run for governor as a Republican.
Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett announced Monday that he will not seek a third four-year term in November. Instead, he says he’ll spend the next several months traveling the state discussing issues and weighing a bid for governor.

If he runs, Corbett would likely face Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds in a Republican primary ahead of the 2018 election. Reynolds is set to become governor in coming weeks, when Gov. Terry Branstad resigns to begin his appointment as President-Elect Donald Trump’s ambassador to China.

Corbett is a former speaker of the Iowa House. He helped Cedar Rapids through a major recent flood that required evacuations.