Iowa’s state auditor, Rob Sand is within spitting distance of becoming Iowa’s next Governor. But before checking that box, Iowans have questions about family funding, Lauridsen Group, Dave Muhlbauer’s DNR violations, education funding, his cancer plan, and if he really believes in “not redder or bluer.”
Sand also doubles down on claims his opponent, Zach Lahn is “from Kansas” and explains why his campaign or the Democrat party hasn’t filed official complaint with the The State Objection Panel, Iowa Secretary of State, or The Iowa Attorney General.
Sand outlined key policy priorities for his campaign, focusing heavily on education funding, fiscal responsibility, and public health. Addressing Iowa’s education system, Sand pledged to pursue a 5 percent funding increase for public schools in his first year in office to counter a decade of funding lagging behind inflation. “A year at 5% would be, I think, good for Iowa public schools and good for Iowa students,” Sand stated, while emphasizing the necessity of confronting the state’s $1.3 billion budget deficit. On public health, Sand vowed to veto corporate immunity legislation regarding chemical products like glyphosate and prioritized tackling radon—a leading cause of lung cancer in Iowa. Sand noted he wasn’t opposed to restricting SNAP benefits from purchasing unhealthy foods to curb government-subsidized health issues.
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Water Quality and Government Accountability
Addressing environmental issues, Sand criticized state leadership for eliminating a $600,000 budget item for water quality monitors across Iowa. Sand proposed expanding fully funded, incentive-based conservation programs for farmers rather than relying on punitive regulations. “I think we should be among the first states to say to politicians, ‘You will have term limits,’” Sand declared, framing broad government reform as vital to solving persistent state challenges. Sand also renewed his criticism of Senate File 478, a law restricting the State Auditor’s ability to examine state records. “Every single government watchdog in America, 100% of them, looked at this bill and said, ‘You should not do this. This is going to lead to an increase in waste, fraud, and abuse in Iowa,’” Sand argued. Pushing for stricter oversight, Sand proposed mandatory prison sentences for stealing large sums of taxpayer funds alongside mandatory civics and cognitive testing for candidates on the ballot.
Partisanship Pushback
Sand also addressed his own campaign staff social media posts. While his official accounts claim his opponent, Zach Lahn wants to “ban cancer treatments” and “a ban on vaccines” Sand clarified saying the intention was mRNA vaccines, and specific cancer treatments.
Sand also addressed his campaign staffers directly who publicly called Lahn a carpetbagger, explaining, “I have not used the word carpetbagger myself, if my campaign has said it, let’s not say that anymore guys.”