State executive race · November 3, 2026
Governor
Iowa's chief executive, who signs or vetoes legislation, proposes the state budget and oversees state agencies.
4-year term. Open seat: no incumbent is running. Gov. Kim Reynolds (Republican) is not seeking another term. The governor and lieutenant governor are elected together on a joint ticket. Zach Lahn won the Republican primary on June 2, 2026; Rob Sand was the only Democrat on the primary ballot.
The candidates
Listed alphabetically by last name.
Zach Lahn
Businessman and farmerRunning mate: Derek Wulf (Lieutenant Governor)
Zach Lahn is a businessman and farmer from Belle Plaine running for office for the first time; he won the Republican primary over U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra. His "Iowa First" campaign centers on in-state ownership of land and businesses, health and cancer rates, farm policy and education.
Rob Sand
Iowa Auditor of StateRunning mate: Dave Muhlbauer (Lieutenant Governor)
Rob Sand is Iowa's State Auditor, first elected in 2018, and a former assistant attorney general who prosecuted public corruption and fraud cases. His campaign centers on the economy, public schools and universal pre-K, health care costs and Medicaid, and government accountability.
Compare on the issues
Summaries of each candidate's stated positions. See each profile for sources and details.
| Issue | Zach Lahn Republican | Rob Sand Democratic |
|---|---|---|
| Abortion | Says the state has a duty to protect life before birth, and after birth by addressing children's chronic health issues. | Says he would veto any bill further restricting abortion access, and that a governor alone cannot repeal Iowa's six-week law. |
| Education | Supports "innovation zones" for schools, less standardized testing, and revoking licenses of teachers found pushing a political agenda in class. | Proposes universal all-day pre-K, paid for by ending state tuition support for private school vouchers, and more oversight of voucher spending. |
| Health Care | Supports state-run safety testing of products sold in Iowa and directing university medical research toward Iowa's cancer rates. | Says he would reverse Iowa's privatized Medicaid management by executive order starting on his first day. |
| Agriculture | Says he would file antitrust lawsuits against large seed and fertilizer companies and help young farmers gain access to land. | No public position found yet |
| Economy & Jobs | No public position found yet | Pledges to let state employees who can work remotely live and work anywhere in Iowa, modeled on a program he started in the Auditor's office. |
| Elections & Democracy | No public position found yet | Supports an open top-four primary for all voters and approval voting in general elections. |
| Energy & Environment | Supports a temporary moratorium on new data centers, opposes tax incentives for them, and supports incentives for farmers to reduce runoff. | No public position found yet |
| Government Accountability | No public position found yet | Supports restoring the State Auditor's authority to investigate misused tax dollars. |
| Immigration | Supports barring state benefits for people in the country illegally and ending H-1B visa hiring for state government and university jobs that Iowans can do. | No public position found yet |
| Property Rights | Opposes the use of eminent domain for private company profit. | No public position found yet |
| Public Safety | No public position found yet | Proposes legalizing, taxing and regulating adult-use cannabis, with grow licenses prioritized for small and mid-size family farms. |
| Taxes | Has said he would raise taxes on Iowa data centers fivefold and raise property tax rates on large institutional investors to lower property taxes for Iowans. | No public position found yet |