What Time Does the Republicans’ State of the Union Response Begin?

Tonight, Gov. Kim Reynolds from Iowa is giving the Republicans’ official response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union. Reynolds’ speech — the Republicans’ official SOTU response — will begin shortly after Biden’s speech ends.

Expect Reynolds’ Speech To Begin Shortly After 10 to 10:30 PM Eastern

Typically, most State of the Union speeches last about an hour, although some last closer to 90 minutes. Tonight, Biden’s speech will begin at 9 p.m. Eastern (8 p.m. Central/6 p.m. Pacific.) Because his speech last year to Congress was just a little over an hour, it’s likely that his speech will end around 10 p.m. Eastern. Most of the time, SOTU speeches don’t even last 90 minutes, so his speech should end well before 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

Because the Republicans’ response begins shortly after the official SOTU ends, you can have a pretty good idea of what time to watch for their response speech. Reynolds’ speech will likely begin sometime between 10 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Eastern. If you want to make sure you don’t miss anything, then tune in no later than 10 p.m. Eastern, but be prepared to wait until 10:30 p.m. or even later for the response to start.

You should be able to watch the Republicans’ response on any major cable network. ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox News, CNN, PBS, and C-SPAN are all going to air both Biden’s official State of the Union speech and the Republican speech that follows. The response will also be live streamed, which you can watch in the video below.

However, more than likely any live stream that you watch tonight of the SOTU speech will also include Reynolds’ response.

Reynolds Was a ‘Rising Star’ During the Trump Era

GettyDonald Trump gives a kiss on the cheek to Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds during a campaign rally inside of the Knapp Center arena at Drake University on January 30, 2020.

Reynolds is giving her speech in Des Moines, NPR reported.

Time described Reynolds as “a rising star in the era of Donald Trump.” She criticized many pandemic restrictions, although she and her husband did get a COVID-19 vaccine.

According to NPR, Reynolds was reluctant to institute pandemic restrictions and began rolling back safety requirements as quickly as she could.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement about Reynolds: “Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds represents what it means to lead with conviction and true faith in our fellow citizens. … She handled COVID by choosing freedom over lockdowns and personal responsibility over mandates — leading to real economic recovery from the pandemic. She kept kids in school and critical race theory out.”

CBS Iowa reported that local Republican leaders are excited about Reynolds’ giving the speech.

Sen. Chuck Grassley said: “Governor Reynolds prioritized fairness and freedom and we see it working everyday, unlike states that are run by Democratic governors. New York and California, for example, how they couldn’t fight the virus and keep their economies going at the same time. So Iowa is a roadmap for the rest of the nation.”

Iowa GOP Chair Jeff Kaufmann told CBS Iowa: “Finally, the entire nation is going to see what we have known all along, that Kim Reynolds is a tremendous leader. The states are the last line of defense against an overreaching federal government and Kim Reynolds is going to outline what it means to fight for freedom, defend parents’ rights, and keep Iowa moving.”

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