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1986 Iowa Gubernatorial Election

Iowa · 2 candidates · See every 1986 Governor race

Who won the 1986 Iowa Gubernatorial Election?

Terry Branstad won the 1986 Iowa Gubernatorial Election. Terry Branstad received 472,712 popular votes (51.9%). The main challenger was Lowell Junkins (48%).

See the full head-to-head between Branstad and Junkins

Branstad +3.9 pts · won by 35,725 votes
Terry BranstadRepublicanWINNER51.9%
472,712 votes
Lowell JunkinsDemocratic48%
436,987 votes
Popular-vote totals for governor elections are compiled from official state results (via Wikipedia); Louisiana shows the decisive round of its jungle primary.

Data last verified July 28, 2026.