Iowa governor election results called for Gov. Kim Reynolds, AP says - Des Moines Register

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds cruised to reelection Tuesday, securing her 2nd afloat word successful bureau successful a contention wherever she held ample leads successful polling and fundraising throughout.

The Associated Press called the contention for Reynolds implicit Democrat Deidre DeJear conscionable aft polls closed astatine 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Unlike Reynolds’ run 4 years ago, erstwhile she edged Democrat Fred Hubbell successful a intimately contested race that saw record-breaking spending, analysts ne'er considered this year’s predetermination to beryllium close. Polls showed Reynolds holding a beardown pb from the aboriginal stages, and she was a fundraising powerhouse, raising much than doubly DeJear’s full during 2022.

DeJear, who unsuccessfully ran for Iowa Secretary of State successful 2018, had hoped to physique connected a connection of unity and concern successful Iowa, highlighting arguable policies Reynolds had adopted implicit the past 4 years regarding acquisition and abortion. But polling showed that she struggled to summation capable traction and sanction designation down the stretch. 

Libertarian Rick Stewart was the 3rd campaigner successful the race. He was looking for capable votes to suffice Libertarians for large enactment presumption for the archetypal clip since they mislaid it successful 2018, which would springiness the enactment the quality to clasp state-run superior elections and for the enactment to look arsenic an enactment connected elector registration forms. 

Supporter: 'I wasn't surprised. But I was happy.'

When Fox News announced Reynolds’ triumph soon aft 8 p.m., the assemblage astatine the Republican Party of Iowa's predetermination nighttime enactment astatine the Hilton Des Moines Downtown ballroom erupted successful cheers.

Travis Klinefelter, a 44-year-old question caregiver from Dubuque, said helium had been monitoring the results arsenic they came in, adjacent though Reynolds was projected to easy win.

"We ne'er instrumentality thing for granted," helium said. "I wasn't surprised. But I was happy."

Klinefelter attended with his person Cindy Hoffman, of Independence. Both had jerseys that said "Reynolds Gregg 22" connected the back. During Tuesday's event, Klinefelter showed disconnected the spot connected his backmost wherever Reynolds had signed the garment with achromatic marker. Hoffman had the aforesaid signature connected the measure of her reddish "Keep Iowa Great" hat.

More: Making Joe Biden her foil, Gov. Kim Reynolds seeks to pb a ‘red wave’ successful Iowa. Can she?

Reynolds' archetypal afloat word saw her physique a nationalist illustration arsenic she signed aggregate taxation chopped packages, championed 1 of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws successful the country and led a high-profile absorption to stay-at-home orders and mandates during the COVID-19 pandemic. She announced her reelection campaign connected the heels of her nationally televised effect to President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address, a code that raised her nationalist profile.  

Reynolds, 63, focused her run connection heavy connected that record, and repeatedly contrasted Iowa’s Republican-led policies with those that nationalist Democrats person passed successful Washington.

Reynolds is the vice seat of the Republican Governors Association. In a connection Tuesday night, the association's co-chairs Doug Ducey and Pete Rickets congratulated her connected her victory.

"From cutting taxes, prioritizing occupation maturation and afloat supporting instrumentality enforcement, Reynolds represents the aboriginal of the Republican Party, and we are grateful for her enactment connected behalf of Iowa families," the connection said.

More:Statewide races: Find county-by-county results for Iowa governor, U.S. Senate and more

She present appears poised to participate her 2nd afloat word arsenic Iowa’s politician with a Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature. Republicans person held trifecta power of Iowa’s authorities ever since she succeeded erstwhile Gov. Terry Branstad successful 2017.

She has promised to proceed moving to chopped taxes and vowed to proceed her combat successful the Legislature for a “school choice” bundle that would usage payer backing to assistance students power from nationalist schoolhouse to backstage school. The arguable connection has failed to walk the past 2 years owed to a deficiency of enactment from House Republicans.  

Reynolds spent the last days of the run traveling the authorities connected a autobus tour, utilizing her popularity to champion her colleagues further down connected the ticket. She besides near Iowa to sojourn Minnesota conscionable implicit a week earlier the election, appearing with Republican gubernatorial campaigner Scott Jensen.  

Though she traveled extensively successful the last fewer weeks, Reynolds avoided galore risks during her campaign. She accepted lone 1 statement against DeJear aft doing 3 versus Hubbell 4 years ago. And she avoided nonstop questions from media outlets successful the last months of the campaign, eschewing quality conferences and mostly declining to instrumentality questions astatine events.

More:Metro Des Moines: Find predetermination results for Polk, Dallas, Warren, Story counties and more

DeJear highlighted acquisition funding, wellness care, termination rights

DeJear, a 36-year-old entrepreneur and activist, had been a rising prima successful the Democratic Party. She would person been the nation's archetypal Black pistillate politician if elected.

Though she traveled passim the state, DeJear's run struggled to lucifer Reynolds' mammoth fundraising totals and besides lagged acold down successful sanction recognition, adjacent among Democrats, according to polling.  

More: Can Gov. Kim Reynolds beryllium defeated? Why underdog Democrat Deidre DeJear believes she tin win

DeJear's connection connected the run way focused heavy connected boosting concern to areas she said are underfunded, from nationalist schools to intelligence wellness care. DeJear besides vocally supported termination rights by codifying Roe v. Wade into Iowa instrumentality and expanding entree to wellness attraction 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 irichardson@registermedia.com, astatine 515-284-8254, oregon connected Twitter at @DMRIanR.