Democrat Rob Sand wins Iowa governor's race, defeating Zach Lahn

CBS News projects Rob Sand volition triumph the Iowa governor's office, the archetypal Democrat to beryllium elected to the governor's mansion since 2006 and defeating Zach Lahn, an outsider Republican who had defeated President Trump's prime successful the GOP superior successful May. 

Although Sand ran arsenic a Democrat, connected the trail, helium has blasted the two-party strategy and is pushing for nonpartisan primaries. He emphasized bipartisanship and problem-solving connected the run trail, which helped triumph implicit the increasing colonisation of independents successful the state. Even so, Iowa has go steadily much Republican implicit the past decade. Going into Election Day, determination was not a azygous Democrat successful the House delegation, and Sand is the lone statewide elected authoritative successful Iowa. Mr. Trump won Iowa by implicit 13 points successful 2024.

Sand, 44, was archetypal elected arsenic authorities auditor successful 2018, and helium was reelected successful 2022. 

While Sand ran arsenic a moderate, Lahn sought to formed him arsenic excessively wide for Iowa. But the authorities has been deed hard by tariffs, lipid and state prices and the Iran war. Three of the 18 U.S. work members who person died successful the struggle had ties to Iowa. Sand deed the Republican constitution hard connected those topics, and Lahn tried to region himself. 

Lahn, a 40-year-old husbandman and a businessman, ran arguing the "entire establishment" was "set up against me." Ahead of the primary, helium was backed by the precocious Charlie Kirk's Turning Point Action and MAHA Action, a radical created by allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. He yet won by 1,700 votes. 

But though Mr. Trump had endorsed Lahn's hostile successful the primary, the president and respective apical medication officials campaigned for him, including Vice President JD Vance and, successful an antithetic determination for a defence secretary, Pete Hegseth. 

Two-term GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds announced successful April 2025 that she would not beryllium moving for reelection. It seemed apt a Republican would win her  erstwhile Sand announced his candidacy 1 period later. He had been wide expected to tally earlier that, entering the contention with $8 cardinal already raised.

Sand ran unopposed successful the superior and spent the past twelvemonth barnstorming the state, including making a 100-stop run trip. He outraised Lahn passim the campaign, and deed Lahn for having precocious voted successful Kansas arsenic precocious arsenic 2022.