Businessman Zach Lahn has secured the Republican nomination for Iowa governor, setting up a general election contest against State Auditor Rob Sand, according to Decision Desk HQ. Lahn defeated four primary challengers, including Representative Randy Feenstra, who had the backing of former President Donald Trump and retiring Senator Joni Ernst.
Lahn, endorsed by the conservative group Turning Point Action, positioned himself as an anti-establishment candidate. His victory marks at least the second time this cycle that Trump’s preferred pick lost a primary; Trump-backed Brenda Wilson fell to Indiana state Senator Greg Goode last month.
Sand ran unopposed on the Democratic side. He is the only Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa, a state that hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in two decades. But Democrats see Sand as an unusually strong contender: a bowhunter who has attracted cross-party support by vowing to challenge both parties when necessary.
Sand’s campaign reported $18 million cash on hand in a pre-primary filing last week, dwarfing Lahn’s $636,000. Sand’s wife and her family have contributed millions to his campaign, while Lahn loaned himself $2.5 million during the primary.
Lahn, a sixth-generation Iowan, has campaigned on overhauling education, improving public schools, addressing cancer rates, and slowing the exodus of young residents. He has cast himself as a political outsider ready to shake up Des Moines.
Earlier spring polling suggested Sand would beat Feenstra by double digits in a hypothetical matchup, but some surveys indicated Lahn could pull an upset. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the general election a “toss-up.”
The race is one of several high-stakes gubernatorial contests this year, including in New Mexico, where the governor primaries are heating up, and South Dakota, where the House seat is open as the governor runs for a higher office. Democrats are clear-eyed about the challenge: flipping Iowa’s governor’s mansion remains a tall task, but Sand’s fundraising and appeal give them hope.
