Governor of Iowa
Zach Lahn
Farmer and businessman; co-founder of the Wonder school in Wichita, KansasR
- Race
- Governor of Iowa
- Election
- 2026-11-03
- Opponent
- Rob Sand (D)
- Research
- Basic
Party linenone
No recorded floor votes — not a current legislator in our records.
Said vs. did3 statements · 0 votes
Zach Lahn is a farmer and businessman who won the Republican nomination for Iowa governor in an upset. He runs an 'Iowa First' campaign that opposes abortion and high taxes and defends gun rights and school vouchers. He co-founded a private school in Wichita, Kansas, and registered to vote in Iowa in October 2024.[1][2][3]
Compare statements with votes ›On the ballotGovernor
2026-11-03
| Zach Lahn R | challenger |
| Rob Sand D | challenger |
Running with Lt. Gov. candidate Derek Wulf, a state representative from the 76th district. Won the June 2 Republican primary with 37.65% of the vote.
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.
A Kansas Reflector profile reports that he has opposed abortion; his specific position on Iowa's six-week ban was not found in a primary source.
Documented position[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
The same profile reports that he has defended school vouchers.
Documented position[4]
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Says he would tax out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates in order to lower property taxes; a Kansas Reflector profile also reports that he has opposed high taxes.
No recorded floor vote in our key-vote set maps to this issue.
Biography
Zach Lahn is a farmer and businessman who won the Republican nomination for Iowa governor in an upset. He runs an 'Iowa First' campaign that opposes abortion and high taxes and defends gun rights and school vouchers. He co-founded a private school in Wichita, Kansas, and registered to vote in Iowa in October 2024.[1][2][3]
Basic profile — the most important sourced facts we found.
Lahn grew up near Sioux City, Iowa, and graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder.[2] He worked for Montana and Colorado congressmen and served as Montana director of Americans for Prosperity.[2]
In 2018 he co-founded Wonder, a private pre-K to 12 school that opened in Wichita, Kansas.[2] Kansas voter records show he voted in Kansas in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and he registered to vote in Iowa on October 17, 2024.[2] He bought a farm in Belle Plaine, Iowa, that relatives previously owned, describes himself as a sixth-generation farmer, and founded Homeplace Ventures, an Iowa-based company focused on agriculture, real estate and technology investments.[2][6]
Lahn launched his campaign for governor in November 2025.[6] He won the June 2, 2026 Republican primary over Rep. Randy Feenstra, who had been endorsed by President Donald Trump, and faces Democrat Rob Sand in November.[1]
In their own words
Priorities
- Addressing what he calls a cancer crisis in Iowa by securing nitrate-free drinking water and working with farmers to reduce agricultural runoff.[5]
- Stopping Iowa's 'brain drain' by prioritizing state incentive dollars for Iowa businesses that will stay in the state.[5]
- Banning the use of eminent domain for private gain and taxing out-of-state landowners and data centers at higher rates in order to lower property taxes.[5]
Campaign moneyNo FEC filing summary matched — state candidates file with their state, not the FEC.
Profile: /people/zach-lahn
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Sources cited in this profile
- 1.2026 Iowa gubernatorial election · Wikipedia · 2026-10-21 Reference
- 2.Zach Lahn's Kansas ties and 'Iowa First' campaign · Kansas Reflector / Iowa Capital Dispatch News report
- 3.GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall · KCRG · 2026-04-17 News report
- 4.Zach Lahn's Kansas ties and 'Iowa First' campaign · Kansas Reflector / Iowa Capital Dispatch News report
- 5.GOP governor candidate Zach Lahn pitches Iowa-first platform at Dubuque town hall · KCRG · 2026-04-17 News report
- 6.New candidate for Iowa governor: Zach Lahn launches campaign · KCRG · 2025-11-06 News report