Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds cruised to reelection Tuesday, securing her second full term in office in a race where she held large leads in polling and fundraising throughout.
The Associated Press called the race for Reynolds over Democrat Deidre DeJear just after polls closed at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Unlike Reynolds’ campaign four years ago, when she edged Democrat Fred Hubbell in a closely contested race that saw record-breaking spending, analysts never considered this year’s election to be close. Polls showed Reynolds holding a strong lead from the early stages, and she was a fundraising powerhouse, raising more than twice DeJear’s total during 2022.
DeJear, who unsuccessfully ran for Iowa Secretary of State in 2018, had hoped to build on a message of unity and investment in Iowa, highlighting controversial policies Reynolds had adopted over the past four years regarding education and abortion. But polling showed that she struggled to gain enough traction and name recognition down the stretch.
Libertarian Rick Stewart was the third candidate in the race. He was looking for enough votes to qualify Libertarians for major party status for the first time since they lost it in 2018which would give the party the ability to hold state-run primary elections and for the party to appear as an option on voter registration forms.
Supporter: ‘I wasn’t surprised. But I was happy.’
When Fox News announced Reynolds’ victory soon after 8 p.m., the crowd at the Republican Party of Iowa’s election night party at the Hilton Des Moines Downtown ballroom erupted in cheers.
Travis Klinefelter, a 44-year-old travel nurse from Dubuque, said he had been monitoring the results as they came in, even though Reynolds was projected to easily win.
“We never take anything for granted,” he said. “I wasn’t surprised. But I was happy.”
Klinefelter attended with his friend Cindy Hoffman, of Independence. Both had jerseys that said “Reynolds Gregg 22” on the back. During Tuesday’s event, Klinefelter showed off the spot on his back where Reynolds had signed the shirt with black marker. Hoffman had the same signature on the bill of her red “Keep Iowa Great” hat.
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Reynolds’ first full term saw her build a national profile as she signed multiple tax cut packages, championed one of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country and led a high-profile resistance to stay-at-home orders and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. She announced her reelection campaign on the heels of her nationally televised response to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Addressa speech that raised her national profile.
Reynolds, 63, focused her campaign message heavily on that record, and repeatedly contrasted Iowa’s Republican-led policies with those that national Democrats have passed in Washington.
Reynolds is the vice chair of the Republican Governors Association. In a statement Tuesday night, the association’s co-chairs Doug Ducey and Pete Rickets congratulated her on her victory.
“From cutting taxes, prioritizing job growth and fully supporting law enforcement, Reynolds represents the future of the Republican Party, and we are grateful for her leadership on behalf of Iowa families,” the statement said.
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She now appears poised to enter her second full term as Iowa’s governor with a Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature. Republicans have held trifecta control of Iowa’s government ever since she succeeded former Gov. Terry Branstad in 2017.
She has promised to continue working to cut taxes and vowed to continue her fight in the Legislature for a “school choice” package that would use taxpayer funding to help students switch from public school to private school. The controversial proposal has failed to pass the past two years due to a lack of support from House Republicans.
Reynolds spent the final days of the campaign traveling the state on a bus tour, using her popularity to champion her colleagues further down on the ticket. She also left Iowa to visit Minnesota just over a week before the election, appearing with Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen.
Though she traveled extensively in the final few weeks, Reynolds avoided many risks during her campaign. She accepted only one debate against DeJear after doing three versus Hubbell four years ago. And she avoided direct questions from media outlets in the final months of the campaign, eschewing news conferences and largely declining to take questions at events.
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DeJear highlighted education funding, health care, abortion rights
DeJear, a 36-year-old entrepreneur and activist, had been a rising star in the Democratic Party. She would have been the nation’s first Black female governor if elected.
Though she traveled throughout the state, DeJear’s campaign struggled to match Reynolds’ mammoth fundraising totals and also lagged far behind in name recognition, even among Democrats, according to polling.
More:Can Gov. Kim Reynolds be defeated? Why underdog Democrat Deidre DeJear believes she can win
DeJear’s message on the campaign trail focused heavily on boosting investment to areas she said are underfunded, from public schools to mental health care. DeJear also vocally supported abortion rights by codifying Roe v. Wade into Iowa law and increasing access to health care services.
The Des Moines Register’s Tyler Jett contributed to this report.
Ian Richardson covers the Iowa Statehouse for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at [email protected]at 515-284-8254, or on Twitter at @DMRIanR.