Rob Sand hits the road early: Hear the message he's delivering in red-state Iowa
The Democratic candidate for governor is about halfway through his 100-town hall tour, making his pitch to voters 14 months before Election Day.
The Democratic candidate for governor is about halfway through his 100-town hall tour, making his pitch to voters 14 months before Election Day.
The Democratic candidate for governor is about halfway through his 100-town hall tour, making his pitch to voters 14 months before Election Day.
The hymn "America the Beautiful" spilled out of a public library in Clarion, an education center in Garner, a church in Dakota City, a recreation center in Webster City, and a packed brewery in Ames last week. The key changed from stop to stop, but the tone stayed the same.
"Let's take a moment to just be united," Rob Sand told the crowd in Webster City before inviting them to sing together. "I think it's important to do that."
That's how Sand, Iowa's state auditor and Democratic candidate for governor, kicks off every event on his 100-town hall tour. And on Tuesday, vlog followed him through five counties — Wright, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt and Story — as he made his case to voters more than a year before Election Day.
Sand argues his message needs time to cut through in a state that President Donald Trump won by double digits in 2024.
"Our message is very different," Sand told vlog. "We want to give people more time to hear that, because what we're finding is that when they do hear it, people kind of come out of the woodwork in support of it."
At every stop, Sand surveys the crowd: Republicans, Independents, Democrats. Then he asks for a show of hands and applauds each group of voters.
"Raise your hand if you're a registered Republican here today," he told voters in Dakota City. "OK, thank you all for being here. Raise your hand if you're a registered Independent voter here today. All right. Thank you for being here."
Sand says those raised hands — sometimes a dozen, sometimes just three or four — are proof his message is resonating beyond his own party.
"That's a great measure of success, because those are a lot of people who typically wouldn't feel welcome going to a political event," Sand said. "If I am asking to represent the state of Iowa, I should be willing to listen to the whole state of Iowa. That's the difference between, I think, politics and public service. That's what it is to be a governor for all."
Town hall attendee Leonard Goreham, who raised his hand as a registered Republican during Sand's stop in Humboldt County, said he's grown frustrated with how Republican control in the governor's office and state legislature has influenced Iowa.
"I'm kind of tired of the rhetoric and same old, same old that's coming out of Des Moines," Goreham said. "It's time for something different."
Sand's stump speech leans into that theme. He argues one-party control in Des Moines isn't working and tells the crowd that it has resulted in "an economy that is in 49th place in America. Personal income growth that is in 48th place. A cancer growth rate that is number one in the country."
"We are literally losing the contests you want to win and winning the contests you want to lose," Sand said.
The Democrat then ends his opening remarks with a biblical story from the New Testament.
"Jesus went to the temple, and he saw the money changers taking advantage of people, and he flipped their tables over. He said, 'You brood of vipers,'" Sand told the crowd in Clarion. "That's sort of how I feel about Iowa government right now. There are some tables in Des Moines that need flipping, and I would love to have your help with that in November of 2026."
That message drew roaring applause in Story County, where more than 300 people — most of them Democrats — packed into a brewery. As voters questioned Sand on his plans to improve water quality and education, one voter took the microphone to praise Sand's approach.
"I'm a lifelong Iowan. I grew up in small-town Iowa, and my question is — where have you been all my life?" the voter asked
Sand is about halfway through his 100-town hall tour and says he plans to repeat the entire thing in 2026. Voters say it's not too early to start paying attention.
"Too many times we end up making last-minute decisions and not having the full picture," Trudy Anderson said after listening to Sand speak. "And he's getting out there to give everyone a full picture of where he's standing — and that's what we need."
The urgency of Sand's campaign is clear: In a state dominated by Republicans, he has 14 months to convince Iowans that his "something different" is worth flipping the tables for.
Who is running for Iowa governor?
The race for Governor is growing... with several campaigns announced and others considering a run.
Republicans who have announced campaigns so far include: State Rep. Eddie Andrews, former State Rep. Brad Sherman and former Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen.
State Sen. Mike Bousselot and 4th District Congressman Randy Feenstra are also considering campaigns.
On the Democratic side, along with Sand, longtime political advisor Julie Stauch is running.
Ames resident Sondra Wilson is running as a no-party candidate.