Iowa Flips Blue: Democrat Sand Ends 16 Years of GOP Control
Decision Desk HQ just projected Democrat Rob Sand as the winner of Iowa’s open gubernatorial race over Republican Zach Lahn. The call comes with roughly a quarter of the vote in and Sand holding a wide early lead.
It ends the longest stretch of Republican governors in the state since the early 2000s. Kim Reynolds chose not to seek another term, leaving the seat vacant after years of solid GOP dominance in a state Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024.
Sand, the sitting state auditor, ran as the practical outsider who would clean up waste and fight corruption. He leaned hard on rural roots and a record of outperforming other Democrats in red counties.
Lahn, a farmer and businessman with no prior elected office, emerged from a crowded primary by beating the Trump-endorsed candidate. He drew energy from the Make America Healthy Again crowd, hammering water quality, cancer rates, and big agriculture.
Voters apparently preferred the auditor they already knew to the newcomer promising a sharper break.
