DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) 鈥� Rob Sand rallied 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. Democrats are putting faith in him to after struggling electorally in recent cycles, hoping his message of unity will resonate with their fellow Iowans.
A few hundred people in Des Moines roared, waved campaign signs and snapped photos as Sand took the stage, a state flag hanging behind him.
鈥淵ou might think we have a big hill to climb. I’ve seen bigger,鈥� Sand said. 鈥淲e’re building a coalition of 鈥� not red versus blue 鈥� but of the well-fed versus the fed-up.鈥�
Sand, who was unopposed on the primary ballot, learned who his opponent would be after Tuesday鈥檚 primary settled an unpredictable .
The rally was the first one that Tracy Schloss has ever attended. A lifelong Democrat, Schloss said he doesn’t like the state’s direction after nearly a decade of total Republican control, saying the leaders have 鈥渓ost sight of the common people.鈥�
鈥淚t’s time, you gotta step up or the country will still keep going the way it’s going,” said the 62-year-old retiree from Ankeny, a suburb of Des Moines.
Schloss said he thinks Sand is a 鈥渂right spot” who can get voters excited, and he’s more optimistic than he’s been in recent years that the election will be a success for Democrats.
Iowa is a political battleground this year
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 still have 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 it鈥檚 time for changes
As he has during campaign events over the past year, Sand asked attendees to sing the first verse of 鈥淎merica the Beautiful.鈥� And when he introduced himself, he talked about his upbringing hunting, fishing and going to church.
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.
Sand said it’s good to have balance rather than a political system centered around amassing power and punishing political enemies.
鈥淲e have found ourselves in this position because we have too many people who want us to only think about red or blue,鈥� Sand said Sunday. 鈥淩ed and blue are colors.鈥�
Neither Sand nor 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.
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.
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.
鈥淩ob Sand loves to talk about rising above the 鈥榯wo-party system鈥� 鈥� right up until it鈥檚 time to campaign, cash checks, and share the stage with Democrat Party insiders,” Iowa GOP spokeswoman Jade Cichy said in a statement Sunday.
Beshear brings national support as he considers his own future
Beshear, chair of the Democratic Governors Association and in 2028, told a cheering crowd Sunday that he’s 鈥渁ll in鈥� for electing Sand.
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.
鈥淚 am living, breathing proof that Democrats can win anywhere, and we should be fighting everywhere,鈥� Beshear told the crowd Sunday.
In addition to rallying with Sand, Beshear also attended 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 told The Associated Press that he would 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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