Governor of Iowa
Rob Sand
Iowa State Auditor (since 2019)D
- Race
- Governor of Iowa
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponent
- Zach Lahn (R)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did1 statement · 0 votes
I don't make promises to people that I can't keep.
Protect legal access to abortion
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| Zach Lahn R | challenger |
| Rob Sand D | challenger |
Running with Lt. Gov. candidate Dave Muhlbauer, a Crawford County supervisor. Unopposed in the June 2 Democratic primary. Currently Iowa State Auditor.
Said vs. did
Each documented position next to the recorded floor votes we map to the same issue. Votes are compared one at a time; no overall stance is inferred from them.
I don't make promises to people that I can't keep.
Said he disagreed with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and would veto any bill further restricting abortion access, while saying a governor cannot single-handedly repeal Iowa's six-week ban.[6]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Rob Sand is Iowa's State Auditor, the only Democrat currently holding statewide elected office in Iowa, and the Democratic nominee for governor. His campaign emphasizes bipartisanship and fixing the state budget, and he supports ending the privatization of Iowa's Medicaid system and opposes new restrictions on abortion.[1][2][3][4][5]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Sand was born and raised in Decorah, Iowa.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree from Brown University in 2005 and a J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2010.[1]
From 2010 to 2017 Sand was an Iowa assistant attorney general, including as lead prosecutor in the Iowa Film Office tax credit fraud case.[1] In 2018 he was elected State Auditor, defeating Republican incumbent Mary Mosiman, and he took office in January 2019.[1]
Sand was re-elected in 2022 and was the only Democrat elected to a statewide office in Iowa that year.[1][7] He announced his run for governor in May 2025 and chose Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer as his running mate in June 2026.[1][4]
On the record
Official actions: bills, executive acts, filings and court records.
- action2024-12-17 · As State Auditor, released an audit report finding the Iowa Judicial Branch had sent $27.6 million in court debt collections to the wrong state fund over four years because of programming errors, shorting other state and local funds. Republican officials said his office was told of a potential problem in 2022; Sand said his office remained engaged with the judicial branch and awaited final numbers.[8]
- action2026-02-24 · The Republican-led House Government Oversight Committee approved a report in February 2026 criticizing the judicial branch and Sand for not investigating the court debt issue more quickly; Sand responded that no money was lost and no services were delayed.[9]
In their own words
Priorities
- A bipartisan approach to governing, noting he would work with the Republican-led Legislature.[10]
- Ending the privatization of Iowa's Medicaid system and raising reimbursement rates for health care workers.[6]
- Addressing the state's ongoing budget deficit, which he called a "fiscal time bomb," including new revenue such as legalizing and taxing recreational cannabis products.[10]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/rob-sand
Compare all 2 candidates side by side ›
Sources cited in this profile
- 1.Rob Sand · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Democratic governor candidate Rob Sand warns that Iowa faces 'fiscal time bomb' · Iowa Capital Dispatch · 2026-06-04 News report
- 3.Rob Sand says he'd veto abortion limits, end Medicaid privatization at health care roundtable · The Gazette News report
- 4.Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer picked as Rob Sand's gubernatorial running mate · Iowa Capital Dispatch · 2026-06-08 News report
- 5.Judicial branch audit finds millions went to wrong state funds due to IT errors · Iowa Public Radio · 2024-12-18 News report
- 6.Rob Sand says he'd veto abortion limits, end Medicaid privatization at health care roundtable · The Gazette News report
- 7.2026 Iowa gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 8.Judicial branch audit finds millions went to wrong state funds due to IT errors · Iowa Public Radio · 2024-12-18 News report
- 9.House oversight committee recommends outside audit after judicial branch misallocated $25 million · Iowa Public Radio · 2026-02-25 News report
- 10.Democratic governor candidate Rob Sand warns that Iowa faces 'fiscal time bomb' · Iowa Capital Dispatch · 2026-06-04 News report