Rob Sand wins Iowa governor’s race, first Democrat elected to the office since 2006

DES MOINES, Iowa, Nov 4 – Democrat Rob Sand has won the race for governor of Iowa, beating Republican Zach Lahn and becoming the first Democrat elected to lead the state since 2006.

The Associated Press projected Sand the winner on Tuesday night. Votes are still being counted.

It is a major win for Democrats in a state where the party has struggled for years. Iowa twice voted for Barack Obama, but it backed Donald Trump in all three of his presidential campaigns. Over the past decade, Republicans have come to dominate politics across the state.

Sand, 44, is the state auditor. Until now, he was the only Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa.

He beat Lahn, a political newcomer who was backed by the “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary.

Sand was born and raised in Iowa. He ran as someone who could bring people together and restore balance to the state’s politics.

At his rallies, he led crowds in singing “America the Beautiful.” He often talked about bringing Iowa back to being a “common sense state.”

He said that, in the past, Iowa elected both Democrats and Republicans, and they had to work together to get things done.

“We have had 10 years of one-party control in the state of Iowa,” Sand said at a rally on October 28. He said that was what led the state to where it is today.

Sand had led in the polls going into Election Day, but the race became increasingly competitive in the final weeks as Republicans poured money and attention into the state.

Lahn won the Republican primary in June, defeating a candidate endorsed by Trump. That made him an unusual nominee in Iowa, where Trump’s support has often carried significant weight with Republican voters.

During the campaign, Iowa Democrats accused Lahn of spending too much time in Kansas while running to lead Iowa. The New York Times reported in October that Lahn voted in Iowa in the 2024 general election, but had his ballot mailed to him in Kansas. Republicans dismissed the criticism as a political attack, but it became a recurring issue in the race.

Lahn also faced questions about his ties to the Koch family, the billionaire Republican donors known for their influence in conservative politics. Democrats argued that those connections showed he would prioritize wealthy donors and corporate interests over ordinary Iowans. Lahn rejected that characterization and said he would represent all Iowans.

Sand campaigned on lowering costs, improving health care, supporting farmers, and restoring trust in state government.

He argued that Iowa families were struggling with rising prices and that the state needed a governor focused on practical solutions rather than partisan fights.

Sand’s win means Iowa will have a Democratic governor for the first time since Chet Culver, who was elected in 2006 and left office in early 2011. His victory marks a major political shift in a state that Trump won in all three of his presidential campaigns.

The current governor, Republican Kim Reynolds, did not run for another term. So the race was for an open seat.

It was one of several big wins for Democrats in Iowa on Tuesday. In the Senate race, Democrat Josh Turek beat Republican Ashley Hinson, flipping a seat held by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst, the Associated Press projected.

Across the country, Democrats won a series of governor’s races, including in states where the party had struggled in recent years.

In Georgia, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms became the first Black woman elected governor of a U.S. state. In Texas, Democrat Gina Hinojosa defeated Governor Greg Abbott, ending three decades of Republican control of the governor’s office.

Not every race went the Democrats’ way. In Florida, Republican Byron Donalds won the governor’s race, becoming the state’s first Black governor. His victory showed that Republicans still held strength in parts of the South, even during a difficult national political environment for the party.

Many voters went to the polls unhappy with the economy and with President Donald Trump. Prices continued to rise, and gasoline and diesel costs increased after the United States and Israel attacked Iran in February. The conflict disrupted global energy markets and pushed up the price of fuel, fertilizer, and other goods.

That hit farmers especially hard in states such as Iowa, where diesel and fertilizer are major expenses. Candidates from both parties made farm costs a central part of their campaigns, promising to lower input prices, expand markets, and support rural communities.

Exit polls found that about half of voters nationwide saw the election as a chance to send a message of disapproval to the president. For Democrats, the results suggested that economic anxiety and frustration with the administration had created an opening in states that once seemed safely Republican.

Sand will be sworn in as governor in January. He is likely to face a state legislature still controlled by Republicans, which could make it difficult to pass major parts of his agenda. Still, his victory gives Democrats an important platform to shape policy, veto legislation, and influence the redrawing of electoral districts.