1994 Iowa gubernatorial election
The 1994 Iowa gubernatorial election took place November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican Governor of Iowa Terry Branstad ran for re-election to a fourth term as governor. Branstad narrowly defeated a tough challenger in his primary election, emerging victorious by fewer than 12,000 votes. On the Democratic side, Attorney General of Iowa Bonnie Campbell won her party's nomination and both Branstad and Campbell moved on to the general election. Branstad ultimately won re-election to a fourth term as governor, defeating Campbell by a comfortable margin.
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 County results Branstad: 40-50% 50-60% 60-70% 70-80% 80-90% Campbell: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Iowa |
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Democratic primary
Candidates
- Bonnie Campbell, Attorney General of Iowa
- Bill Reichardt, former Iowa State Senator and former Green Bay Packers football player
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bonnie Campbell | 99,718 | 77.71 | |
| Democratic | Bill Reichardt | 24,630 | 19.19 | |
| Democratic | Darold Powers | 3,170 | 2.47 | |
| Democratic | Write-ins | 799 | 0.62 | |
| Total votes | 128,317 | 100.00 | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Terry Branstad (inc.) | 161,228 | 51.80 | |
| Republican | Fred Grandy | 149,809 | 48.13 | |
| Republican | Write-ins | 240 | 0.08 | |
| Total votes | 311,277 | 100.00 | ||
General election
Governor Terry Branstad made reinstatement of the death penalty a central focus of his 1994 re-election campaign; however, despite successfully being re-elected, he was unable to implement this policy due to opposition from Democrats in the Iowa State Senate.[2]
Polling
| Source | Date | Branstad (R) | Campbell (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Moines Register | Nov. 7, 1994 | 47% | 34% |
| KCCI-TV | Nov. 4, 1994 | 47% | 43% |
| Cedar Rapids Gazette | Oct. 23, 1994 | 45% | 43% |
| Des Moines Register | Oct. 7, 1994 | 45% | 41% |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Terry Branstad (inc.) | 566,395 | 56.80% | -3.81% | |
| Democratic | Bonnie Campbell | 414,453 | 41.56% | +2.71% | |
| Independent | Richard O'Dell Hughes | 5,505 | 0.55% | ||
| Natural Law | Veronica Bells Butler | 3,737 | 0.37% | ||
| Libertarian | Carl Eric Olsen | 2,772 | 0.28% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Michael Galati | 770 | 0.08% | -0.36% | |
| Write-ins | 3,616 | 0.36% | |||
| Majority | 151,942 | 15.24% | -6.52% | ||
| Turnout | 997,248 | ||||
| Republican hold | Swing | ||||
References
- "Primary Election, June 7, 1994 Official Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State.
- "Branstad says death penalty push unlikely in 2013". Mason City Globe Gazette. December 10, 2012. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
- "1994 General Election, November 8 1994, Official Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State.