(Iowa Capital Dispatch) Democrat Julie Stauch filed paperwork Thursday to run as a candidate for Iowa governor, officially joining the primary race where she faces Iowa Auditor Rob Sand.
Stauch is a former political operative who has worked on caucus campaigns for Democratic presidential candidates including Pete Buttigieg in 2020 and Bill Clinton in 1996. She submitted signatures from 4,575 Iowans to the Secretary of State’s office to appear on the June 2 Democratic gubernatorial primary ballot. Candidates are required to submit signatures from at least 3,500 Iowans, including 100 signatures from at least 19 different counties, to qualify.
Earlier in the week, Sand, who is also running to become the Democratic nominee for Iowa governor, also filed his paperwork. Sand submitted 24,756 signatures, beating the previous records for petition signatures submitted, according to his campaign. Sand also holds a commanding fundraising lead, raising $9.5 million in 2025. The candidate leading fundraising in the Republican primary field in 2025 was U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra at $4.3 million.
Stauch reported raising $32,078 in 2025. Though Stauch said it was a “lovely understatement” to say there was a significant financial gap between her and Sand’s campaigns, she referenced the2011 movie “Moneyball” to explain her strategy.
“There’s a scene in ‘Moneyball’ where Brad Pitt is explaining to his own players, ‘when your opponent is making errors, don’t tell them,’” Stauch said. “And so, at this time I’m not going to respond to your question specifically, but there are plenty of people coming to me because they are frustrated with what’s not happening in other campaigns.”
She also said Iowans should support her campaign because she is not a “career politician,” but someone who has spent her time on the campaign trail listening to Iowans’ concerns with a promise to address those problems if elected. Iowans told her they want a governor elected in 2026 to improve water quality, provide support for K-12 schools, and address health care problems like the state’s high cancer rate and lack of OB-GYN care availability.
“I started saying, ‘I’m applying for the job of governor and I’m here for my job interview with all of you,’ and asking them what they want the next governor to do,” Stauch said. “And they were very clear (about) what they wanted.”
Feenstra, as well as former Iowa Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen and former state lawmaker Brad Sherman, have also submitted paperwork to qualify for the Republican gubernatorial primary. Two other GOP candidates, Zach Lahn, who has worked for Americans for Prosperity, and state Rep. Eddie Andrews, R-Johnston, have not yet filed. The deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, March 13.
Democrat Julie Stauch spoke to reporters in the Iowa Secretary of State’s office March 12, 2026 as she filed paperwork to qualify her gubernatorial campaign for the June primary ballot. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
