(Iowa Capital Dispatch) Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat to currently hold statewide office in Iowa, announced his campaign for governor Monday.
Sand was widely expected to run for the position as a Democratic nominee, having raised more than $8 million in the 2024 calendar year, according to the Des Moines Register. But Sand is facing a different playing field for governor than predicted heading into the 2026 election cycle: Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek reelection in 2026, meaning Republicans are also facing an open primary in the gubernatorial race.
Several Republican elected officials, including Attorney General Brenna Bird, House Speaker Pat Grassley and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra have said they are considering a campaign for governor. Iowa Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, has launched an exploratory committee for the governor’s race, and former state Rep. Brad Sherman entered the race in February, before Reynolds’ announcement.
While other Democrats may join the race for governor, Sand is considered a top contender to become the Democratic nominee. Though not competing against an incumbent could be favorable in the race, Sand and Democrats still must win over Iowa voters who have overwhelmingly elected Republicans in recent state and federal elections. Iowa’s congressional delegation is entirely Republican, and GOP supermajorities were elected in 2024 for both chambers of the Legislature. All statewide elected officials other than Sand are Republicans.
In a news release announcing his campaign, Sand said Iowa families and communities are falling behind because current elected leaders “aren’t focused on the issues that matter most.” He said he would bring his experience working as state auditor to the governor’s office to improve government accountability and work across the aisle to make improvements to the state.
“I’ve spent my career fighting for Iowans – locking up corrupt public officials, violent criminals, scammers, and thieves, rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, and holding members of both parties accountable,” Sand said in a statement. “Now, I’m taking my fight to the governor’s office to serve all Iowans by lowering costs, continuing to make government accountable to taxpayers, and working with both parties to create more opportunities to help Iowa families not just get by, but thrive and live healthy lives.”
Sand, 42, was first elected as state auditor in 2018, defeating former state auditor Mary Mosiman, the Republican incumbent. He gained prominence working previously as assistant attorney general under former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, prosecuting cases including the Hot Lotto fraud case, a lottery rigging scandal.
He was reelected as auditor in 2022, retaining his position during an election cycle when several Democratic incumbents — including Miller, Iowa Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald and U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne — were defeated by Republican challengers.
Sand has repeatedly clashed with Republican leaders as auditor over issues like accessing information related to management of the Education Savings Account program providing public funding for private school costs, and Reynolds’ use of some federal COVID money before it had been officially allocated. Most recently, GOP state lawmakers on the House Government Oversight Committee questioned Sand about why his office had not more quickly identified or reported on the misallocation of $27.5 million in court debt funds between fiscal years 2021 and 2024 caused by coding errors.
Both Republican leaders and Sand have accused one another of pursuing these actions for political purposes. Sand has also criticized the GOP-controlled Legislature for passing laws restricting the auditor’s office from accessing certain information and limiting the office’s ability to file subpoenas against state government entities in order to access information, instead sending disputes to a three-member board of arbitration.
Sand said in a video posted to social media Monday that current leadership in Iowa state government serves “special interests and insiders,” saying he would instead focus on ensuring the government serves all Iowans.
“I’m doing it because we need more public service and less politics,” Sand said. “A lot of politicians yap about making a place redder or bluer — I want Iowa to be better and truer.”
Republican Governors Association Communications Director Courtney Alexander criticized Sand as an “extreme liberal” in a statement Monday.
“Democrats’ media darling Rob Sand is just another extreme liberal, supporting guys playing in girls’ sports and opposing President Trump’s agenda. Sand would turn Iowa into Tim Walz’s Minnesota: higher taxes and radical liberal values,” Alexander said in a statement. “Iowans want a governor who will protect their values and tax dollars, not one who needs his rich family to be named the ‘Influencer of Iowa Democrats’ by the New York Times.”
