Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds gives reelection acceptance speech | USA TODAY

Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds told voters "the best is yet to come" during her reelection acceptance speech.

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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.

"Our message for you tonight is this: We are not stopping. We are not slowing down," Reynolds told a cheering crowd of supporters at the Downtown Des Moines Hilton ballroom Tuesday. "I am so excited to get back to work and to lay out a bold, conservative agenda and to follow through with what we say we're going to do."

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