Will it be Rob Sand vs. Randy Feenstra in 2026?
The wait is over. Rob Sand is running for governor. Officially. Randy Feenstra is, too. He just hasn’t officially said it yet. Will Sand vs. Feenstra be the general election matchup for the 2026 Iowa gubernatorial race? Could be.
(Photo courtesy: Rob Sand for Iowa campaign.)
I talked with Sand, Iowa’s Democrat state auditor, about his newly announced campaign for governor. Why is he running? Why doesn’t he want to be state auditor again? Why did his family donate $7 million to his campaign? What does he plan to do about what he calls Iowa’s “fiscal time bomb?”
Watch his responses on this week’s “Inside Iowa Politics.”
The (Almost) Campaign for Governor
Meanwhile, Feenstra, the 4th Congressional District Republican, confirmed that he has formed an exploratory committee for governor. It appears that he is doing more than exploring with this website.
Other Republicans are already making plans to run for his congressional seat. State Senator Lynn Evans of Aurelia announced an exploratory committee for the position on Saturday.
Sand’s Path
It seems unlikely that Sand will face a serious Democratic primary challenger. A few other Democrats thought about running for governor but decided that they could not compete financially with Sand.
We will see what type of campaign Sand will run. So far, he is downplaying partisan politics and using a “governor for all” theme. He has spent the past few years traveling to all 99 counties. Let’s see if that builds familiarity with voters, which could be especially helpful (providing that they like what they hear from Sand) since Republicans have a 190,000 registered voter advantage over Democrats.
Feenstra’s Path
Will Feenstra be the Republican nominee? Possibly. Brenna Bird has not yet said publicly that she will run for re-election for attorney general or whether she will run for governor.
State Senator Mike Bousselot of Ankeny has formed an exploratory committee. But that was before Feenstra made his moves. Bousselot could try to court MAGA if Bird does not run for governor. His relationship with former governor Terry Branstad (Bousselot served as his chief of staff) could help.
Branstad served as President Donald Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to China in his first administration and Branstad’s son, Eric, helped to lead his Iowa campaign in 2016.
House Speaker Pat Grassley, now that the legislative session is finally over, can now think about whether he wants to run for governor. But Grassley has three school age children who could play a factor in his decision.
Brad Sherman, a former one-term representative from Williamsburg, wants Trump’s endorsement, too. Sherman is the only Republican to officially declare his gubernatorial candidacy. But he is not well-known and will have quite a challenge competing with Feenstra’s fundraising.
Feenstra has stressed Trump hard in the early days of his (almost) campaign. Trying to reassure MAGA?
It seemed like Feenstra was getting ready to endorse someone other than Trump (Nikki Haley?) before the Iowa Caucuses in 2024. Feenstra had said that he was going to endorse someone, but he ended up not publicly supporting anyone.
Feenstra doesn’t want to see a Trump-backed candidate oppose him in the Republican primary.
Sand vs. Feenstra…it could be the race in 2026 that no one expected a month ago.
What I Learned This Week
—Trump doesn’t think there is an ethical, legal, or national security issue in accepting a $400 million plane from Qatar? Should Republicans in Congress stress to him that he should turn down the plane?
—Blake Hurst hopes flower pots make people realize how much families like his could suffer because of Trump’s global trade war.
—My St. Louis Cardinals have won 12 of their last 13 games and have made me wonder if this season could be much better than I feared.
—Brock Purdy, the Iowa State star quarterback, makes it so easy to root for him in the NFL. Now, he is going to find out what pressure really feels like as he signed a $265 million extension. Go get ‘em, Brock!
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Great interview with Rob Sand, Dave! I believe the unhappiness of Iowans on the direction of various state issues, coupled with Rob's willingness to travel to all corners of the state to listen and take questions and his youthfulness/energy, will make him a formidable candidate.
I've heard him in person speak to politically mixed groups of people in his role as state auditor. He emphasizes fiscal responsibility, accountability, and a willingness to deemphasize party affiliation to get things down (e.g. hiring and working with R's within the auditor's office). The reaction from attendees has always been favorable.
He would definitely benefit from a primary challenge...see Dave Busiek's earlier substack post, yet the recent launch of his campaign and his stock phrase, "I'm not running to make Iowa bluer or redder, but truer and better!," expressed while walking in the Iowa countryside, has been top-notch. I'm encouraged!
If it’s Rob Sand vs Randy Feenstra it’s Rob Sand.