Who is running for Governor and Lieutenant Governor in 2026?
Here are the candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor on the November 3, 2026 ballot. This race is on the ballot for all voters in Iowa.
Positions come only from each candidate's own votes, official actions, statements and questionnaire answers, never from party labels. Every item links to its source.
Side by side
Each candidate's position on the issues this office handles, from their own record. Details and sources are in each profile below.
| Issue | Rob SandDemocrat | Zach LahnRepublican |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | Raise it modestlySaid · medium | No public position |
| Abortion | Legal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)Said · low | Illegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestSaid · low |
| Guns | No public position | Remove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightSaid · medium |
| School choice | No, keep public money in traditional public schoolsSaid · medium | Yes, universal school choice for every familySaid · medium |
| Housing and growth | Allow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downSaid · medium | No public position |
| Politicians trading stocks | No, ban it for members and their spousesSaid · medium | No public position |
| Marijuana | Legalize and regulate it like alcoholSaid · medium | No public position |
| Term limits | Yes, but longer limits that still allow long service, such as 12 years per chamberSaid · medium | No public position |
| Childcare and pre-K | Offer free pre-K to every 4-year-old, and expand childcare aidSaid · medium | No public position |
| Kids online | Ban social media accounts for minorsSaid · medium | No public position |
| School vaccines | No public position | End school vaccine requirements; leave it to parentsSaid · medium |
| Transgender athletes | No, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsSaid · medium | No public position |
Rob Sand
DemocratIowa State Auditor
Rob Sand is the Iowa State Auditor and previously worked as an assistant attorney general and prosecutor213. He is the Democratic nominee for governor in November 2026 with Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer as his running mate for lieutenant governor1214.
Where they stand 11 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
Minimum wageRaise it modestlymedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan says "I support raising the minimum wage to $12/hour." (2026) source
MarijuanaLegalize and regulate it like alcoholmedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan would "legalize and regulate adult-use cannabis like alcohol," with age limits, licensing and taxes. (2026) source
Kids onlineBan social media accounts for minorsmedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan says "I support banning social media use for children under 16, and requiring parental consent for 16 and 17 year olds," and points to app store age verification and private-by-default settings for minors as ways to do it. (2026) source
Politicians trading stocksNo, ban it for members and their spousesmedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan says "I support banning stock trading at the federal level" for members of Congress and would push Iowa to do the same for state officials. (2026) source
Term limitsYes, but longer limits that still allow long service, such as 12 years per chambermedium
Said · medium confidence- In April 2026 he proposed 12-year term limits for state legislators and called three terms a reasonable limit for statewide offices, saying he is not set on the specifics. (2026-04-02) source
School choiceNo, keep public money in traditional public schoolsmedium
Said · medium confidenceChildcare and pre-KOffer free pre-K to every 4-year-old, and expand childcare aidmedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan calls for "universal all day Pre-K" and says "every Iowa child should have access to high-quality Pre-K." (2026) source
Housing and growthAllow townhomes and apartments in more places to bring prices downmedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan says he will make it easier to build "different types of homes, like duplexes, quadplexes, and ADUs" and cut permitting red tape. (2026) source
Transgender athletesNo, teams should be based on biological sex, with open or coed optionsmedium
Said · medium confidence- At a Sept. 14, 2026 town hall he said he opposes transgender women and girls participating in female sports, while criticizing Iowa Republicans for removing gender identity protections from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. (2026-09-14) source
AbortionLegal in most cases up to viability (about 24 weeks)low
Said · low confidence- He said he supports a woman's right to choose, opposes Iowa's six-week abortion ban, and thinks Roe v. Wade created a framework that had stood for decades. (2026-09-14) source
- He said he would veto further restrictions on reproductive care but cannot repeal the six-week ban without the Legislature. (2026) source
Ranked-choice votingNo single answer fitsmedium
Said · medium confidence- His plan supports a public primary open to all voters with the top four advancing, then approval voting in the general election, where voters may choose as many candidates as they approve of. (2026) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Business regulation, Healthcare, Guns, Immigration, Energy and climate, Curriculum and books, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, School vaccines, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.
Zach Lahn
RepublicanFarmer and businessman
Zach Lahn is a farmer and businessman who lives in Belle Plaine and was previously Montana state director of Americans for Prosperity148. He won the June 2026 Republican primary for governor7. His running mate for lieutenant governor is Iowa Rep. Derek Wulf, listed with him on the governor ticket on a county candidate list710.
Where they stand 4 issues · tap any issue for the evidence
GunsRemove most restrictions; bearing arms is a rightmedium
Said · medium confidence- During the campaign he endorsed the concept of "constitutional" possession of weapons, which Kansas Reflector says would shrink a state's capacity to regulate firearms, and said he supports letting permit holders carry on school property. (2026-08-25) source
- He said he embraced proposals limiting employers' ability to bar guns stored in vehicles on workplace property. (2026-08-25) source
School choiceYes, universal school choice for every familymedium
School vaccinesEnd school vaccine requirements; leave it to parentsmedium
Said · medium confidence- He said he supports eliminating Iowa's vaccine requirements for children to attend school, saying "the choice is between parents and their doctors." (2026-09-28) source
AbortionIllegal, except to save the mother's life or in cases of rape or incestlow
Said · low confidence- At a Jan. 27, 2026 Republican candidate event he said a candidate's stand on abortion is "a foundational issue," citing his family's refusal to discard embryos at a fertility clinic. (2026-01-27) source
- At a May 1, 2026 forum he said he is "unapologetically pro-life at conception." (2026-05-01) source
- Iowa Public Radio reported he supports restricting abortion to protect "life at conception." (2026-05-15) source
No public position found on: Safety net programs, Minimum wage, Business regulation, Healthcare, Immigration, Energy and climate, Curriculum and books, Housing and growth, Policing and crime, Election rules, Judges, Politicians trading stocks, Marijuana, Gender care for minors, Redistricting, Term limits, Campaign finance, Electoral College, Ranked-choice voting, Death penalty, Qualified immunity, Mandatory minimums, Drug prices, Childcare and pre-K, Paid leave, Student loans, AI regulation, Kids online, Nuclear power, E-Verify mandate, Transgender athletes, DEI programs, Religion in schools, China policy.
Last reviewed 2026-10-06. Spotted something wrong? Every claim links to its source so you can check it yourself.