DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) 鈥� Rob Sand will rally a crowd for the first time as the official for Iowa governor on Sunday, kicking off a countdown to November with the support of Kentucky Gov. .
The race for governor between Sand and Republican stands to be one of the most competitive in the country as Iowans face a state budget deficit, struggling and cancer crisis.
Even as Sand downplays party politics, Democrats are putting faith in him to after struggling electorally in recent cycles.
鈥淲e are all in on flipping Iowa,鈥� said Beshear, chair of the Democratic Governors Association and in 2028. 鈥淚t鈥檚 certainly time for a change, and I think the people of Iowa know that Rob Sand will always put them first and lead in a way that lifts families up and doesn鈥檛 leave them out.鈥�
Sand, who was unopposed on the primary ballot, learned who his opponent would be after Tuesday鈥檚 primary settled an unpredictable .
Little known before his bid for governor, Lahn made a splash as a business owner criticizing farm consolidation and tax breaks for corporate giants, a regenerative farmer who subscribes to Robert F. Kennedy鈥檚 and a former political operative who galvanized Iowa鈥檚 conservative grassroots.
Iowa has open races for both governor and U.S. senator for the first time since 1968, plus three battleground congressional races. National attention on the state has soared in recent months, drawing President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance .
Democrats will have an uphill climb with a 200,000-person deficit in statewide voter registration, and they are outnumbered in every House district. Sand, along with , say they can win over independents and Republicans who are frustrated with party politics and a Republican trifecta in Washington and Des Moines that they blame for the state’s challenges.
Turek will face U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who already has portrayed Turek as a liberal puppet for party leader Sen. Chuck Schumer.
Lahn has also rejected Sand’s nonpartisan pitch.
鈥淩ob Sand is not a moderate,鈥� Lahn said in his victory speech Tuesday. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a liberal career politician pretending to be someone he鈥檚 not.鈥�
Sand says divided government is a good thing
Sand is vocal about his dislike of partisanship, his distrust of both political parties and his desire for divided government in Iowa. He says he thinks most Iowans feel the same.
Even if Sand is elected governor in November, he will likely have to work with Republican majorities in the state House and Senate, which recently passed bills to restrict the executive鈥檚 power that outgoing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law.
鈥淚鈥檓 not here to tell you that the answer to 10 years of one-party control is to give the other party 10 years of one-party control. I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 right,鈥� Sand said Tuesday after casting his primary ballot. 鈥淏ut I do think that it鈥檚 time to say enough to the people who have had 10 years of one-party control. It鈥檚 time for balanced government in Iowa.鈥�
Neither Sand or Lahn use their party’s traditional blue or red in campaign materials, opting instead for green. They both say they aren鈥檛 beholden to their party establishments and that Iowans want a new direction, though Lahn鈥檚 Republican Party has held a statehouse trifecta for nearly a decade.
Sand鈥檚 campaign has given about $750,000 to the Iowa Democratic Party already this cycle, funding that Republicans call hypocritical for a candidate who claims he is not a party man. The Sand campaign says that sum reflects his investment in a state party-run coordinated campaign that will help him get elected as governor, even as it also supports candidates up and down the ballot.
Beshear brings national support as he considers his own future
As Democrats what went wrong in 2024 and the direction of the party, Beshear has offered up his own example as the leader of a red state for lessons on how the party can go forward.
Beshear said he is trying to be a 鈥渧oice of reason in the chaos鈥� of Trump鈥檚 administration and that he is comfortable being listed among the names of Democrats considering a presidential bid in 2028, even as he said he is focused on the critical midterms.
In addition to rallying with Sand, Beshear will also be at a 鈥淏eers with Beshear鈥� fundraiser for congressional candidate Sarah Trone Garriott, who wants to unseat Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in the competitive House district that includes Des Moines. Beshear said he will see Turek too.
The Democratic Governors Association, which Beshear chairs, gave the Iowa Democratic Party about $140,000 so far this cycle, according to filing reports.
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