Zach Lahn, Iowa GOP nominee for governor, appears on Face the Nation

During an appearance on Face the Nation on October 4, 2026, Iowa Republican gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn outlined his platform, which includes breaking up big agriculture monopolies and increasing funding for anti-competitive lawsuits. Lahn addressed Iowa's high cancer rates, attributing them to water nitrates and pesticides, and expressed disagreement with Donald Trump's executive order boosting glyphosate production. Backed by RFK Jr., Lahn proposed a school food initiative and financial incentives for farmers to adopt cleaner practices.

Claims on Iowa cancer rates

• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn stated that an individual's annual chance of developing cancer decreases by 40 percent if they move from Iowa to Nevada.
• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn stated that Iowa has the second-highest cancer incidence rate and the fastest rate of new cancer in the United States.

Water nitrates and cancer risk

• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn stated that high nitrate loads in water are a top cause of colon, bladder, and ovarian cancer.
• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn stated that Iowa has some of the highest water nitrate levels in the United States.

Agricultural runoff prevention

• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn stated that farmers risk losing multi-generational family farms if they experiment with new agricultural practices without financial support.
• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn proposed providing financial incentives to farmers to adopt practices that prevent agricultural runoff from entering water streams.

Opposition to glyphosate executive order

• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn opposed former President Donald Trump's executive order boosting the production of glyphosate-based herbicides
• ▪Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order boosting glyphosate-based herbicide production on national security grounds, despite opposition from Health and Human Services Secretary RFK Jr.

Proposals to target agriculture monopolies

• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn proposed increasing funding to the Iowa Attorney General's office to pursue anti-competitive lawsuits against agriculture monopolies.
• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn proposed breaking up big agriculture monopolies, arguing that monopolies represent a failure of the free market.

Agricultural fuel costs

• ▪CBS News host Margaret Brennan noted on October 4, 2026, that diesel prices had risen above six dollars, increasing costs for farmers.
• ▪Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn proposed cutting the state gas tax to help Iowa farmers access more affordable fuel during the harvest season.

Debatable claims

• ▪Sourcing school food locally is an effective way to improve student health
• ▪Iowa should break up big agriculture monopolies
• ▪Taxing Wall Street hedge funds that own farmland does more harm than good
• ▪Agricultural runoff is the primary driver of Iowa's high cancer rates