The 2018 Iowa gubernatorial election took place on November 6, 2018. Incumbent Republican Governor Kim Reynolds ran for election to a full term, facing Democratic businessman Fred Hubbell,

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

Jake Porter, and independent candidate Gary Siegwarth. On Election Day, Reynolds won 50.3% of the vote, a 2.8% margin of victory, and carried 88 of Iowa's 99 counties. She became the first female governor of Iowa elected in her own right. This was the first Iowa gubernatorial election since

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

in which the winner was of the same party as the incumbent president.

Background

After the

2016 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2016 lists the national/federal elections held in 2016 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *7 January: Kirib ...

, President Donald Trump nominated then-Governor Terry Branstad to be the

United States Ambassador to China The United States Ambassador to China is the chief United States, American United States Ambassador, diplomat to China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The United States has sent diplomatic representatives to China since 1844, when Caleb Cush ...

. When Branstad was confirmed by the United States Senate, he resigned as Iowa Governor to assume the ambassadorship on May 24, 2017.

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Kim Reynolds then became Governor of Iowa.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Kim Reynolds, incumbent Governor of Iowa.

Withdrew

Ron Corbett Ron Corbett (born October 12, 1960) is an American politician and former mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Early life and education Corbett was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1960. In 1974, his family moved to Iowa and he later graduated from Cornel ...

, Mayor of

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. ...

* Steven Ray, Mayor pro tempore of Boone

Declined

* Terry Branstad,

and former Governor *

Steve King Steven Arnold King (born May 28, 1949) is an American far-right politician and businessman who served as a U.S. representative from Iowa from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Iowa's 5th congressional district u ...

, U.S. Representative *

Bill Northey William Howard Northey (born May 27, 1959) is an American politician who served as the Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation in the United States Department of Agriculture from 2018 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he p ...

, U.S.

Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services was the third-ranking official in the United States Department of Agriculture prior to reorganization of several mission areas, announced on May 11, 2017. The mission ...

and former

Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa The Secretary of Agriculture of Iowa is an elected position in government of the U.S. state of Iowa that was created in 1923 by the extra session of the 40th General Assembly. The Secretary of Agriculture heads the Iowa Department of Agriculture ...

* Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of

The Family Leader The Family Leader (stylized The FAMiLY LEADER) is an American socially conservative umbrella group comprising The Family Leader Foundation, Marriage Matters, Iowa Family PAC, and Iowans for Freedom. The Family Leader is loosely affiliated with the ...

, candidate for Governor of Iowa in

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

and

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Iowa in

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

* Fred Hubbell, businessman

Eliminated in primary

Cathy Glasson Cathy Glasson is an American nurse, union leader, and former candidate for Governor of Iowa, running in the 2018 Democratic primary. She is President of SEIU Local 199 in Iowa and has received support from the union. Glasson lost the primary to b ...

, president of SEIU Local 199 *

Andy McGuire Andrea "Andy" McGuire (born November 26, 1956) is an American politician and doctor. She served as Iowa Democratic Party chair from 2015 to 2017. Prior to becoming the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, McGuire ran unsuccessfully for the Democra ...

, former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party and candidate for Lieutenant Governor in

* John Norris, former chief of staff to Governor Tom Vilsack, former

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is the United States federal agency that regulates the transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas in interstate commerce and regulates the transportation of oil by pipeline in ...

member and nominee for

IA-04 Iowa's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Iowa that covers its northwestern part, bordering the states of Minnesota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and the Missouri River. The district includes Sioux ...

Ross Wilburn Ross Wilburn (1964/1965) is an American politician and social worker serving as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 46th district. Elected in November 2018, he assumed office in January 2019. Wilburn has also served as chair of ...

, former mayor of

Iowa City Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the time ...

Withdrew

Nate Boulton Nate Boulton (born May 23, 1980) is an American politician serving in the Iowa Senate since 2017. Boulton, a Democrat, represents the 20th District. Boulton was first elected in 2016 to replace retiring Democratic Senator Dick Dearden. In May ...

, state senator * Rich Leopold, director of the Polk County Conservation Board and former Director of the

Iowa Department of Natural Resources The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (Iowa DNR or IA DNR) is a department/agency of the U.S. state of Iowa formed in 1986, charged with maintaining state parks and forests, protecting the environment of Iowa, and managing energy, fish, wild ...

* Mike Matson,

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

alderman * Jon Neiderbach, attorney, former member of the

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

School Board and nominee for State Auditor in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

Todd Prichard Todd Prichard (born 1974) is a Democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 52nd district. Prichard was first elected in a January 22, 2013 special election. Prichard was considering running for governor in 2018, but ...

, state representative

Declined

* Chaz Allen, state senator *

Joe Bolkcom Joseph Bolkcom (born July 29, 1956) is a member of the Iowa Senate. A Democrat, he was first elected to the Senate in 1998. He represents the 43rd District of the General Assembly, which includes most of metropolitan Iowa City. Bolkcom currentl ...

, state senator * Bill Brauch, former director of the Consumer Protection Division of the Iowa Attorney General's Office * Mike Carberry, Johnson County Supervisor * Jeff Danielson, state senator * Michael Gronstal, former Majority Leader of the Iowa Senate * Chris Hall, state representative *

Rita Hart Rita Hart (born May 5, 1956) is an American politician and retired educator who served as an Iowa State Senator from the 49th district from 2013 to 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. In the 2018 gubernatorial election, Hart ran for ...

, state senator (nominee for Lieutenant Governor) *

Jack Hatch Jack G. Hatch (born March 13, 1950) is a former Iowa State Senator and American business owner. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa in the 2014 election. A Democrat, Hatch served in the Iowa Senate from 2003 to 2015, and was an a ...

, former state senator and nominee for Governor of Iowa in

* Rob Hogg, Minority Leader of the Iowa Senate and candidate for the U.S. Senate in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

Pam Jochum Pam Jochum (born September 26, 1954) is an American politician serving as the Iowa State Senator from the 50th District and former President of the Iowa Senate. A Democrat, she was a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from 1993 to 2009, ...

, state senator * Dave Loebsack, U.S. Representative *

Liz Mathis Elizabeth Ann Mathis (née Rumann, 1958) is an American politician, non-profit executive and former broadcast journalist who has served as an Iowa State Senator since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, she was elected to represent the 18th ...

, state senator * Jim Mowrer, nominee for

in 2014 and IA-03 in 2016 (ran for the nomination for Secretary of State) * Tyler Olson, former state representative, former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party and candidate for Governor of Iowa in

Janet Petersen Janet Petersen (born August 1, 1970) is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Iowa Senate representing the 18th District since January 2013. She previously served as the Senate Minority Leader and has previously represented the ...

, state senator *

Steve Sodders Steven J. "Steve" Sodders was a Democratic politician, who was a Mayor of State Center, Iowa. He also served as Deputy Sheriff in Marshall County until he was forced into early retirement for falsifying records. He received his A.S. from I ...

, former state senator * Tom Vilsack, former United States Secretary of Agriculture and former Governor of Iowa

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Libertarian primary

Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson received 3.8 percent of the votes in Iowa in 2016, surpassing the 2 percent threshold to attain full political party status. As a result, the Libertarian Party was allowed to hold a primary to select a nominee.

Candidates

Nominated

* Jake Porter, business consultant

Declared

* Marco Battaglia, musician * Jake Porter, nominee for Secretary of State in 2010 and 2014

Endorsements

Results

Independents

Candidates

* Gary Siegwarth, Fisheries Biologist

Withdrew

* Brent Roske, director and candidate for

CA-33 California's 33rd congressional district is a List of United States congressional districts, congressional district in the U.S. state of California. Based in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, the district is currently represent ...

Endorsements

General election

Debates

Predictions

Polling

;with Nate Boulton ;with Cathy Glasson ;with generic Democrat ;with John Norris ;with Andy McGuire

Results

While pre-election polls showed Reynolds trailing Hubbell, Reynolds won 50.3% of the vote on Election Day, primarily by sweeping every county west of Des Moines and dominating the 4th Congressional District (she lost the other three). Ultimately, she carried 88 of Iowa's 99 counties. She became the first female governor of Iowa elected in her own right.

References

External links

Candidates
at Vote Smart
Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

;Official campaign websites
Gary Siegwarth (I) for GovernorFred Hubbell (D) for GovernorJake Porter (L) for GovernorKim Reynolds (R) for Governor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iowa gubernatorial election, 2018 Gubernatorial

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

2018 United States gubernatorial elections

Background

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominated

Withdrew

Declined

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominated

Eliminated in primary

Withdrew

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominated

Declared

Endorsements

Results

Independents

Candidates

Withdrew

Endorsements

General election

Debates

Predictions

Polling

Results

See also

References

External links