Rob Sand: Taking Iowa Beyond Red or Blue

By Rob Sand

Somewhere along the way, Iowa, the state that I was raised in and love, ended up 49th in the country for economic growth, 48th in personal income growth, and somewhere in the middle for public education – but second in the country for people getting cancer. So, how did that all happen?

Well, I’ll tell you. 

Over multiple decades of one-party rule, we were failed by our elected leaders – on both sides of the aisle – who have been more focused on serving powerful insiders than solving our state’s toughest challenges. 

That’s exactly why I’m running for governor– because I’m tired of watching our current leaders fail us without consequence, national talking heads trying to make us believe Iowa isn’t worth fighting for, and the division that turns neighbors against each other simply because of what color hat you wear or what box you check off in the voting booth.

Here in Iowa, we often get counted out. People across the country – and sometimes even right here in our own state – don’t believe that it’s possible for us to put an end to our current failed leadership or turn the status quo on its head by electing a public servant, not a partisan politician.

But that’s wrong: the people of Iowa are ready for a change.

I believe we can bring both parties together to get big things done here in Iowa – and, for what it’s worth, across the country – and that’s exactly what I’ll do here in my home state. I want to lower costs, make government more accountable to the people it’s supposed to represent, and help Iowans live better and healthier lives. 

This fight is personal for me – I’m a born and raised Iowan from Decorah, a small town in Winneshiek County. My family’s roots in the area go back generations. Growing up in a small town never made me feel like I had fewer opportunities than I would in big cities. 

I’m proud of where I’m from. But, the failures of our leaders are stealing bright futures in Iowa from our young people, and forcing them to build their lives outside of the state where they were raised and that they love. 

The sad reality is that we are losing our young people to other states where they have better opportunities, can make more money, or can live more freely. This brain drain has led to thousands of vacancies in critical fields across Iowa – manufacturing, health care, education, you name it. It’s hitting our small towns and rural areas – like where I grew up – the hardest, and with no end in sight.

I think about my own kids, my two boys, and what their future looks like here if we keep going down the current path we’re on. And like many families in Iowa, I’m worried. 

I want my boys – and all of Iowa’s kids – to have access to the same opportunities I had growing up.

As with most Iowans, for me it’s not about right versus left, but right versus wrong. Unfortunately, that’s not what our current elected officials, both here at home and in DC, have done for the last several decades. Instead, they’ve shown they’ll leave us in the dust to help their special interest groups or political donors.

Just look at the recent vote in Congress – every single one of our representatives from Iowa voted to gut Medicaid to cut taxes for billionaires. Over 700,000 Iowans are on Medicaid – one in every five Iowans. Our children, seniors, and those with disabilities will suffer the most from these cuts. But our current representatives care more about lining the pockets of the ultra wealthy  – even at the expense of our children and families.  

I’m running for governor of my home state of Iowa because I believe we can solve some of our state’s toughest challenges by focusing on Iowans – all while proving to the nation that they are wrong to count us out in the process.

And one thing is clear: Iowans from across the state are ready for change. Thousands of folks from all political backgrounds and beliefs – Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and anyone in between – reached out to show their support for my campaign or signed up to learn more about how to volunteer. It turns out talking about how you’ll actually improve people’s lives – not culture wars or playing politics – is popular!

The limited mentality of “red” versus “blue” states has missed the entire point: that people want – and will elect – leaders who will stand up and fight for them. It’s that simple – and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Rob Sand currently serves as the Iowa Auditor of State and is running for governor of Iowa in the 2026 election.