Just hours after announcing to a crowd of over 600 people her intention to seek reelection, Governor Kim Reynolds stopped by the Iowa Secretary of State’s office to drop off 16,000 signatures.

The number of signatures is the most significant sum submitted to the Secretary of State’s office this cycle and likely a record for a gubernatorial campaign.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds

Outside presidential election years, gubernatorial campaigns take on the task of leading the party’s ticket. The effort required to qualify for the ballot on every county and collect over 400% more signatures as required by law demonstrates the Governor’s deep base of support and that she is taking the responsibility of being top of the ticket seriously.

“This morning, I officially filed to run for reelection as the governor of Iowa,” said Gov. Reynolds. “This strong grassroots response reflects our message resonating in all 99 counties. I am excited to get back on the campaign trail, and beyond grateful for the support Iowans have shown me across the state.”

Despite an increase in the threshold required to qualify in each county, the Governor’s campaign was still able to glean at least 100 signatures in each county, even low population rural ones.

A photo tweeted out by the campaign showed binder after binder filled with nomination petition signatures, nearly spilling off a blue table in the Secretary of state’s office.

👀 That is an incredible number of signatures 🖊️#iagov https://t.co/gZDVbOcT2s

— Iowa Field Report.com (@IAFieldReport) March 10, 2022

Gov. Reynolds formally announced her plans to run for a second term on the 9th of March with a supporter rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. The campaign now embarks on an Eastern Iowa tour with Bettendorf, Dubuque, and Cedar Rapids stops.