Iowa 2026: A Major Candidate Announces He’s Running for Governor

Iowa will have a new governor in 2026. Republican Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek reelection in 2026.

She would like to spend more time with her family. It was announced in 2023 that her husband, Kevin, had been diagnosed with lung cancer.

Reynolds' choice to step aside means next year’s election for governor in Iowa will be the first without an incumbent in nearly two decades.

A Major New Player Enters the Race

Primary elections for Iowa governor will be June 2, 2026.

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With a new governor set to be elected, we'll see some names pop up as we inch closer to primary season next summer.

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Today, a well-known name has officially announced he's running for Iowa governor in 2026.

Rob Sand is the first established Democratic candidate to throw their name in the election. Bus driver Paul Dahl has also announced he's running.

Dahl has become a repeat name to run for office in Iowa, never achieving success in doing so.

Sand is No Rookie to Iowa Politics

Rob Sand has been the Iowa Auditor of State since 2019. He was previously the assistant attorney general of Iowa from 2010 to 2017.

At 42 years of age, Sand has been frequently in the news, especially in relation to Governor Reynolds.

Sand accused Reynolds of violating Iowa’s self-promotion law by appearing in a taxpayer-funded video encouraging mask use. However, the Iowa Ethics Board later determined she did not break any laws.

In November 2021, Sand accused Reynolds of improperly using nearly $450,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds to cover three months of salaries for 21 staff members the previous year.

Several More Candidates Are Likely to Join

While Sand was rumored to be considering a run for governor in 2021, he opted to run for re-election for Auditor of State. He narrowly won reelection.

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Running on the republican side, so far, only Brad Sherman, who represented District 91 until January 2025, has confirmed plans to run.

Also rumored to be interested in running for the republican ticket, Brenna Bird, Attorney General of Iowa, and Randy Feenstra, the current representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district.