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 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. As of 2026, this was the only Iowa gubernatorial election since 1998 in which the winner was of the same party as the incumbent president, and the last Iowa gubernatorial race where the winner won less than 55% of votes.
Background
After the 2016 presidential election, President Donald Trump nominated then-Governor Terry Branstad to be the U.S. ambassador to China. When Branstad was confirmed by the United States Senate, he resigned as Iowa governor to assume the ambassadorship on May 24, 2017. Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds then became governor of Iowa.
Republican primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Kim Reynolds, incumbent governor of Iowa
Withdrew
- Ron Corbett, mayor of Cedar Rapids
- Steven Ray, mayor pro tempore of Boone
Declined
- Terry Branstad, U.S. ambassador to China and former governor
- Steve King, U.S. representative
- Bill Northey, U.S. under secretary of agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services and former secretary of agriculture of Iowa
- Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, candidate for governor of Iowa in 2002, 2006 and 2010 and nominee for lieutenant governor of Iowa in 2006
Endorsements
Kim Reynolds
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominated
- Fred Hubbell, businessman
Eliminated in primary
- Cathy Glasson, president of SEIU Local 199
- Andy McGuire, former chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2006
- John Norris, former chief of staff to Governor Tom Vilsack, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member and nominee for IA-04 in 2002
- Ross Wilburn, former mayor of Iowa City
Withdrew
- Nate Boulton, state senator
- Rich Leopold, director of the Polk County Conservation Board and former director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources
- Mike Matson, Davenport alderman
- Jon Neiderbach, attorney, former member of the Des Moines School Board and nominee for state auditor in 2014
- Todd Prichard, state representative
Declined
- Chaz Allen, state senator
- Joe Bolkcom, 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, state senator (nominee for lieutenant governor)
- Jack Hatch, former state senator and nominee for governor of Iowa in 2014
- Rob Hogg, minority leader of the Iowa Senate and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2016
- Pam Jochum, state senator
- Dave Loebsack, U.S. representative
- Liz Mathis, state senator
- Jim Mowrer, nominee for IA-04 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 2014
- Janet Petersen, state senator
- Steve Sodders, former state senator
- Tom Vilsack, former U.S. secretary of agriculture and former governor of Iowa
Endorsements
Nate Boulton (withdrew)
- Martin O'Malley, former governor of Maryland and 2016 presidential candidate
- Tony Bisignano, state senator
- Joe Bolkcom, state senator
- Tod Bowman, state senator
- Bill Dotzler, state senator
- Rita Hart, state senator
- Pam Jochum, state senator and former president of the Iowa Senate
- Jerry Kearns, state representative
- Kevin Kinney, state senator
- Liz Mathis, state senator
- Amy Nielsen, state representative
- Rick Olson, state representative
- Janet Petersen, state senator
- Herman Quirmbach, state senator
- Art Staed, state representative
- Rich Taylor, state senator
- Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local 3 Iowa
- Central Iowa Building & Construction Trades Council
- Communication Workers of America Local 7102
- Des Moines Police Officers
- Des Moines Professional Fire Fighters Local 4
- International Union of Operating Engineers Local 234
- Laborers Local 177
- Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 33
- Sheet Metal Workers Local 45
- State Conference
- United Steelworkers of Iowa
Cathy Glasson
- Holly Berg, Ottumwa City Council member
- Mike Carberry, Johnson County supervisor
- Matt Dalbey, Ottumwa City Council member
- Kurt Friese, Johnson County supervisor
- Kate Larson, Dubuque City Council member
- Alex Anderson, Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee affirmative action chairperson
- Evan Burger, 4th District Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member
- Lindsey Ellickson, Linn County Democratic Party central committee member
- Jessica Fears, 4th District Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member
- Mason Fraker, Henry County Democratic Party vice-chairman
- Jason Frerichs, Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party Progressive Caucus
- Dylan P. Funk, Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member, vice-chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party Progressive Caucus
- Jon Green, 2nd District Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member
- Holly Herbert, 3rd District Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member
- Sarah J. Hinds, Linn County Democratic Party credentials committee chairperson
- Kate Revaux, 2nd District Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member
- Nora Taft, 2nd District Iowa Democratic Party State Central Committee member
- Chris Laursen, UAW Local 74 president
- Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund
- Our Revolution
- The People for Bernie Sanders
- People's Action
- Progressive Change Campaign Committee
Fred Hubbell
- Jay Inslee, governor of Washington
- Tom Miller, attorney general of Iowa
- Sally Pederson, former lieutenant governor of Iowa
- Staci Appel, former state senator
- Deborah Berry, former state representative
- Dennis Black, former state senator
- Wayne Ford, former state representative
- Ruth Ann Gaines, state representative
- Chris Hall, state representative
- Jack Hatch, former state senator
- Doris Kelley, former state representative
- George Kinley, former majority leader of the Iowa Senate
- Vicki Lensing, state representative
- Mary Mascher, state representative
- Kevin McCarthy, former majority leader of the Iowa House of Representatives
- Helen Miller, state representative
- Todd Prichard, state representative
- Mike Reasoner, former state representative
- Joe Riding, former state representative
- Sally Stutsman, former state representative
- Jane Teaford, former state representative
- Cindy Winckler, state representative
- Mary Wolfe, state representative
- Frank Wood, former state senator
Andy McGuire
- Leonard Boswell, former U.S. representative
- Bonnie Campbell, former Iowa attorney general
- Roxanne Conlin, former U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa and 2010 U.S. Senate nominee
- Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont and former Democratic National Committee chairman
- Michael Gronstal, former majority leader of the Iowa Senate
- Gary Kroeger, 2016 State House candidate and activist
- Ryan McDaniel, president of the Student Leadership Council for Iowa Safe Schools
- Linda Nelson, former state representative and former president of the Iowa State Education Association
- Phyllis Thede, state representative
- Jamie Woods, chair of the Black Caucus of the Iowa Democratic Party
- Jo Ann Zimmerman, former lieutenant governor of Iowa
John Norris
- Brad Anderson, 2014 Democratic secretary of state nominee
- Marti Anderson, state representative
- Daryll Beal, former state senator
- Tom Hockensmith, Polk County supervisor
- Marcia Nichols, former political director for AFSCME 61
- Jo Oldson, state representative
- Brian Quirk, former state representative
- Don Ruby, Iowa Democratic Party secretary
- Dave Schroeder, former state representative
- Norm Sterzenbach, former executive director, Iowa Democratic Party
- Rod Sullivan, Johnson County supervisor
- Roger Thomas, former state representative
- Travis Weipert, Johnson County auditor
- Andrew Wenthe, mayor of Fayette, former state representative
Todd Prichard (withdrew)
- Bruce Bearinger, state representative
- Timi Brown-Powers, state representative
- David Dawson, former state representative
- Bob Dvorsky, state senator
- Ro Foege, former state representative
- Ruth Ann Gaines, state representative
- Dave Jacoby, state representative
- Tim Kacena, state representative
- Monica Kurth, state representative
- Dan Muhlbauer, former state representative
- Sharon Steckman, state representative
- Sally Stutsman, former state representative
- Roger Thomas, former state representative
- Mary Wolfe, state representative
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
Jake Porter
Independents
Candidates
- Gary Siegwarth, fisheries biologist
Withdrew
- Brent Roske, director and candidate for CA-33 in 2014
Endorsements
Brent Roske (withdrew)
General election
Polling
%support010203040501/31/201810/22/201811/4/2018ReynoldsHubbellOtherOpinion polling for the 2018 Iowa gubernatorial election
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.
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Black Hawk (largest city: Waterloo)
- Clinton (largest city: Clinton)
- Des Moines (largest city: Burlington)
- Dubuque (largest city: Dubuque)
- Jefferson (largest city: Fairfield)
- Lee (largest city: Fort Madison)
- Linn (largest city: Cedar Rapids)
- Polk (largest city: Des Moines)
- Scott (largest city: Davenport)
- Story (largest city: Ames)
By congressional district
Despite losing the state, Hubbell won three of four congressional districts.