In 2020, Reynolds had the lowest approval rating of any governor in the nation for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an approval rating of 28% in JulyMatthew A. Baum et al., The State of the Nation: A 50-State COVID-19 Survey Report #6: Update on the Approval of Executive Performance During COVID-19, COVID-19 Consortium for Understanding the Public's Policy Preferences Across States (July 29, 2020) (version 2). and 26% in September.Andrew Pearce, At 26%, Gov. Reynolds still has the lowest approval rating in the nation for handling of pandemic, KWWL (September 16, 2020). COVID-19 in Iowa peaked in November 2020, but remained high into the next year. In late January 2021, the state had the nation's third-highest positivity rate and third-lowest per capita vaccination rate.David Pitt, Iowa's vaccination rate 3rd-lowest in US; 5,000 virus deaths, Associated Press, (February 4, 2021).
