Latest news with #IowaGovernorRace
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa Rep. Pat Grassley might enter race for governor
IOWA (KCAU) — Iowa State Representative Pat Grassley is speaking out about the 2026 race for the governor's seat. The Iowa House Speaker is eyeing a possible run for the position. So far, the only confirmed candidates in the race are former state Representative Brad Sherman and current State Auditor Rob Sand. He was recently asked about his consideration to get into the governor race. 'I'm just going to take some time now that session has wrapped up as I've been saying, wanted to get through session and then take the next couple of weeks to kind of make a decision on what that would be. But, obviously, as being consistent with what I said earlier, considering that, yeah,' said Iowa House Speaker State Rep Pat Grassley (R). Grassley said he does not have a specific timeline on announcing whether or not he will run for the governor's seat. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Washington Post
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Iowa's lone Democratic statewide officeholder Rob Sand announces 2026 bid for governor
DES MOINES, Iowa — State Treasurer Rob Sand, the only Iowa Democrat currently serving in statewide office, announced a bid Monday for the open governor's race in an effort to break up a long streak of Republican leadership in the state. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds made a surprise announcement last month that she would not seek a third term, leaving a wide open Republican primary and offering Democrats a glimmer of hope that they could make inroads in a midterm year with President Donald Trump in the White House.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Iowa's GOP Rep. Randy Feenstra plans to announce run for governor this week, sources say
Iowa Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra plans to announce a run for governor as soon as this week, two sources told CBS News, setting the stage for what could become a politically tense primary contest in the GOP. The state will have an open race for governor next year due to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' announcement last month that she would not seek another term. The entry of Feenstra, who has represented Iowa's 4th Congressional District since 2021, could set up a possible high-profile Republican primary that may come to include Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird—widely regarded within GOP circles as President Trump's preferred choice, if she decides to jump into the fray. Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, Iowa state auditor Rob Sand entered the race for governor Monday morning. A Democrat has not won the Iowa governor's office since 2006, giving the left long odds at being able to break the GOP's widening winning streak in the politically important Midwestern state. Feenstra's expected campaign and Sand's bid mark the first major moves towards the office on both sides and in turn make them the leading candidates in their respective party primaries at this early point. Other potential GOP candidates are U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn; Mike Bousselot, a state senator; Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig; state representative Bobby Kaufmann; and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley. The Iowa race could be one of the most closely watched gubernatorial races in the state and nationally next year. Iowa is a training ground for operatives and presidential hopefuls looking to 2028. Unlike many other states, governors in Iowa are not term-limited which can restrict the ability of ambitious candidates to try to win an open seat statewide. That means next year will offer a relatively rare opportunity for Iowa politicians. A spokesperson for Feenstra did not respond to requests for comment.
New York Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Rob Sand, Iowa's Only Democrat in Statewide Office, to Run for Governor
Rob Sand, Iowa's elected state auditor and the only Democrat now holding a major political office in the state, said on Monday that he would run for governor next year, boosting his party's hopes of gaining a policymaking foothold in a place that Republicans dominate. Mr. Sand has won two statewide elections, but to become governor he would need to overcome a decade of political trends favoring Republicans. Since President Trump became the leader of the party, Iowa Republicans have amassed large legislative majorities and won all six seats in the state's congressional delegation. The incumbent governor, Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said last month that she would not seek re-election to a third full term, setting up an open Republican primary that could attract several prominent conservatives. Iowa is expected to be one of several Midwest states with closely contested governor's races next year. Republicans are hoping to capture governorships now held by Democrats in Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Mr. Sand has been a highly visible state auditor, examining state agencies and at times clashing with Ms. Reynolds. He has also worked to build a personal political brand that is distinct from his party. In his announcement video, posted to social media on Monday, he described his background as an auditor and prosecutor without once mentioning that he is a Democrat. 'I'm doing it because we need more public service and less politics,' Mr. Sand said in the video about his run for governor. 'A lot of politicians yap about making a place redder or bluer. I want Iowa to be better and truer.' Iowa was once a swing state. Former President Barack Obama carried the state twice, and the Democrats had a majority in the State Senate until the 2016 election. Under Ms. Reynolds, however, the state government has moved in a sharply conservative direction. Lawmakers have passed restrictions in recent years on abortion, transgender people and school library books, and have limited the power of Mr. Sand's office as auditor. So far, voters have rewarded the Republicans. Mr. Trump carried the state in each of the last three presidential elections, including by a 13-point margin in 2024. Over that time, Mr. Sand has become a political outlier. Two other Democrats in statewide office, the treasurer and attorney general, lost their seats by narrow margins in the 2022 election. Mr. Sand won re-election that year by about 3,000 votes out of about 1.2 million cast.
Associated Press
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Iowa's lone Democratic statewide officeholder Rob Sand announces 2026 bid for governor
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State Treasurer Rob Sand, the only Iowa Democrat currently serving in statewide office, announced a bid Monday for the open governor's race in an effort to break up a long streak of Republican leadership in the state. Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds made a surprise announcement last month that she would not seek a third term, leaving a wide open Republican primary and offering Democrats a glimmer of hope that they could make inroads in a midterm year with President Donald Trump in the White House. 'In Iowa, we know it's not about right versus left, but right versus wrong,' Sand said in his announcement. 'As governor, I will always do what's right for Iowans.' It's an uphill battle in a state that Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024 and Reynolds by 18 percentage points in 2022. The state has shifted dramatically in favor of Republicans since 2006, the last time there was a governor's race without an incumbent candidate. Sand was first elected state auditor in 2018 by a margin of about 4 percentage points over his Republican opponent. But his election was far more competitive in 2022, when he won by less than 3,000 votes, or about three-tenths of a percentage. Recent voter registration data show nearly 200,000 more active voters registered as Republicans than Democrats. Sand often draws on his experience growing up in a small town in northeast Iowa, hunting and fishing. He has said he appeals to a bipartisan coalition of voters across all parts of Iowa, urban and rural. His campaign will also benefit from an amassed $8 million in campaign contributions last year, most of which came from his extended family's pockets.
