DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Media Iowa State Capitol Bureau) – Iowa will buy Minnesota’s nine most southern-most counties if an Iowa lawmaker has his way. State Senator Mike Bousselot, a Republican from Ankeny, says Iowa has lower taxes and regulations and would make for a better quality of life for the people and businesses in those nine counties.
The idea sounds similar to some of those that President-elect Donald Trump has mentioned: buying Greenland, taking over the Panama Canal, and making Canada the country’s 51st state. But Bousselot insists that he has been planning the idea before Trump announced his.
Here are the nine Minnesota counties that Bousselot is eyeing:
Rock, Nobles, Jackson, Martin, Faribault, Freeborn, Mower, Fillmore, and Houston.
Bousselot points out that the counties were originally part of the Iowa Territory.
Minnesota has a challenging fiscal situation, while Iowa has billions in reserves, Bousselot said in his sales pitch. Bousselot has not announced a potential purchase for the Minnesota properties and said that he doesn’t want to negotiate in public.
Governor Kim Reynolds did not mention Bousselot’s idea in her Condition of the State Address, and her staff did not provide a response when asked by Gray Media Iowa whether she supports the proposal.
About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for nine stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.
Dave produces and hosts “Inside Iowa Politics,” a weekly, in-depth show focused on interviews with top leaders on politics, issues, challenges and solutions that impact the state.
He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.
Dave welcomes your thoughts on what answers to seek from politicians and what issues challenge our communities.
Copyright 2025 KTIV. All rights reserved.
