Rob Sand wins Iowa governor race

Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lahn on November 3, 2026, to win the Iowa governor's race, taking 55% of the vote with 96 of 99 counties reporting. The victory makes Sand the first Democratic governor elected in Iowa since 2006, ending a 15-year GOP hold on the executive office. Sand ran a record-breaking $59 million campaign targeting independent and rural voters, defeating Lahn after heavily criticizing his residency record in Kansas.

Rob Sand defeats Zach Lahn in election

• ▪With 96 of 99 Iowa counties reporting on November 3, 2026, State Auditor Rob Sand led Zach Lahn 55% to 45% in the election results
• ▪Democrat Rob Sand defeated Republican Zach Lahn in the Iowa governor race on November 3, 2026, becoming the first Democrat to win the governorship since 2006
• ▪Rob Sand won the gubernatorial election despite Iowa Republicans holding a voter registration advantage over Democrats of approximately 175,000 people
• ▪Rob Sand's victory ends a period of total Republican political control in Iowa, though Sand will face a Republican-controlled Iowa House and Senate

Zach Lahn's campaign

• ▪Zach Lahn won the Republican gubernatorial primary by securing about 38% of the vote to defeat U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra
• ▪Zach Lahn conceded defeat to Rob Sand shortly after the race call and suggested to supporters he would run for governor again in 2030

Rob Sand and Zach Lahn campaign strategy

• ▪Rob Sand selected Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer as his lieutenant governor running mate
• ▪Rob Sand completed 200 public town hall events across Iowa during his campaign and held public events in all 99 counties in the state
• ▪Rob Sand raised approximately $59 million compared to Zach Lahn's nearly $33 million, making it the most expensive Iowa gubernatorial race on record

Candidates debate key Iowa policy issues

• ▪Rob Sand campaigned on ending Medicaid privatization, raising the minimum wage, and lowering health care and prescription drug costs
• ▪Rob Sand and Zach Lahn both campaigned on addressing water quality and Iowa's rising cancer rates, with Iowa holding the nation's second-highest rate of new cancer diagnoses

Rob Sand's background

• ▪Rob Sand was the only Democratic statewide elected official in Iowa after winning reelection as state auditor in 2022
• ▪Before becoming state auditor, Rob Sand served as an assistant attorney general who led the prosecution of a lottery-rigging scheme involving manipulated jackpots across five states