MAHA-aligned Republican Zach Lahn will face Democrat Rob Sand in this year's race for Iowa governor, setting up what could be an unusually competitive contest in a red-leaning state.
Zach Lahn will win the Republican primary for Iowa governor, CBS News projects, overcoming a Trump-backed congressman and setting up a November contest against Democrat Rob Sand that could be one of this year's most competitive gubernatorial races.
Lahn — a farmer and businessman who has touted his ties to the"Make America Healthy Again" movement — prevailed over a crowded GOP field on Tuesday. Sand, who serves as state auditor, ran for the Democratic nomination unopposed.and was viewed by many observers as a frontrunner. President Trump endorsed Feenstra last week, calling him"MAGA all the way," and several top Iowa GOP figures backed him.
Feenstra conceded late Tuesday night, saying in a speech surrounded by his family that the outcome"wasn't what I wanted.
" Describing himself as a sixth-generation Iowan, Lahn owns a family farm and runs the agriculture, technology and real estate investment firm. He's running for governor on a populist-inflected platform that he branded"Iowa First," and has vowed to encourage more local ownership of farmland and address Iowa's high cancer rate. Three other candidates also ran: former Iowa Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep.
Brad Sherman. Lahn will now face Sand, a two-term state auditor who defeated a GOP incumbent in 2018 after working in the state attorney general's office. Sand has focused his campaign on government accountability and has faulted Republicans for the state's economic issues, while seeking toOnce considered a swing state, Iowa has trended sharply red in recent years as Democrats increasingly struggle on rural Midwestern terrain.
Mr. Trump won the state three times in a row, including by a 13-point margin in 2024, and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds won reelection by 18 points four years ago. Iowa hasn't elected a Democratic governor in two decades, and Sand is the only statewide elected Democrat, after he won reelection by But Democrats are hopeful that a challenging political environment for Republicans, both nationally and in Iowa, could make them more competitive in the midwestern state.
The Cook Political Report hasthe Iowa gubernatorial race a tossup, one of five states with that distinction this year, and the University of Virginia's Center for Politics says the race leans red. Reynolds declined to run for reelection this year, setting up Iowa's first gubernatorial election without an incumbent in the race since 2006.for the Sand campaign.
Sand's wife runs a sizable food and health products company founded by her family called the Lauridsen Group, and the Democrat's campaign coffers have been bolstered by millions in contributions from his in-laws. Sand raised about $9.7 million between the start of the year and mid-May, just over $3 million of which came from members of his wife's family. Lahn raised just under $1 million..
Democrats are also heavily targeting two of Iowa's four House seats, including the 1st District, where incumbent GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won by fewer than 1,000 votes in 2024.
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