Iowa’s State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, announced a run for governor in 2026. Sand is currently the only Democrat in a statewide elected office in Iowa after being elected to the state auditor position in 2018,

"I'm not a party line guy," Rob Sand said as he launched a gubernatorial campaign. "I'm a right or wrong guy."

Over the course of an hour, the auditor and his team toured the homestead of retired farmer Dennis Allen and spoke with him and his family, alongside others in attendance, about the state of farming in Iowa as well as the impact of tariffs on producers.