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DES MOINES — The 2026 general election is more than a year away, but candidates nonetheless are participating in the time-honored tradition of greeting Iowans at the State Fair.

Iowans will elect a new governor in 2026 — Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has held the post since 2017, announced earlier this year she will not seek re-election. And they will elect a U.S. Senator — Republican incumbent Joni Ernst has not yet said whether she plans to run for another term.

There are already four Republicans and two Democrats running in the gubernatorial election, and four Democrats running in the U.S. Senate campaign. And that doesn’t include Iowa’s four U.S. House elections.

Many of th

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