The 1994 Iowa gubernatorial election took place on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican Governor Terry Branstad narrowly defeated a primary challenger by 11,419 votes. On the Democratic side, State Attorney General Bonnie Campbell won her party's nomination. Branstad ultimately won re-election to a fourth term as governor, defeating Campbell in a landslide. This was the last time until 2010 that a Republican was elected Governor of Iowa, when Branstad defeated incumbent Democrat Chet Culver.
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.