Candidates
Public events, campaign finance and stated positions for Iowa's two major-party candidates for governor, side by side.
Candidate activity
Where the money comes from
Full itemized contributions and expenditures for both campaigns, sourced to the Iowa Ethics & Campaign Disclosure Board, now live on their own page.
See the full money page → · Browse every individual donation →
Stated positions, eight issues
Drawn from each campaign's own published materials and public statements. We do not assign truth ratings here — read the sources and judge for yourself.
Zach Lahn
Opposes increases in Iowa's sales, income and property taxes and has said eliminating the state income tax should be a long-term goal. Proposes reducing taxes through government savings, offering housing-related tax rebates to young Iowans and increasing taxes on institutional property owners. Also proposes ending economic-development incentives for out-of-state and foreign corporations.
Rob Sand
Supports raising Iowa's minimum wage to $12 an hour. Proposes caregiver tax credits, limits on certain utility fees (including a cap on utility service and meter fees), interest-free down-payment assistance and new revenue from regulated adult-use cannabis and ending data-center tax exemptions. He has said he does not believe broad tax increases would be necessary. Also proposes expanding remote state jobs throughout Iowa and removing unnecessary four-year-degree requirements for state employment.
Zach Lahn
Supports continuing education savings accounts for private-school expenses, and proposes expanding alternative school models. Proposes "innovation zones" giving educators and administrators more flexibility, reducing standardized testing, increasing the share of Iowa residents admitted to Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, and revoking teaching licenses for what he describes as political indoctrination.
Rob Sand
Proposes universal all-day prekindergarten and universal meals in public schools. Supports retaining the private-school voucher program with income limits, annual audits, restrictions on tuition increases and greater oversight of the company administering the program.
Zach Lahn
Has said Iowa should maintain a reliable Medicaid delivery system, provide dependable care and ensure prompt payment to providers. He has said concerns he previously raised about Medicaid expansion were largely addressed by federal changes. No detailed proposal changing Iowa's current Medicaid administration has been published.
Rob Sand
Proposes beginning to reverse Iowa's privatized Medicaid system through executive action. Also proposes a prescription-drug review board, restrictions on pharmacy benefit managers, broader telehealth coverage, expanded surprise-billing protections, medical-debt relief and caregiver tax credits -- up to $2,000 per caregiver, plus an additional $1,000 for caregivers of veterans.
Zach Lahn
Proposes independent state testing of products used in Iowa, incentives for farmers to reduce runoff, antitrust action against large agricultural-input companies and redirecting university research toward cancer and agricultural problems. He opposes legal immunity for chemical manufacturers and the use of eminent domain for private projects. Sets a goal of creating 10,000 new family farms, and proposes restricting foreign and out-of-state ownership of agricultural land, creating pathways and incentives for young farmers to obtain land, seeking to have 80% of food served in Iowa public schools grown in Iowa, and supporting alternatives to chemical weed and pest control, including electrical and ultraviolet technology.
Rob Sand
Proposes expanded water monitoring, publicly accessible manure-management plans, conservation tax credits, water-quality alerts, greater radon testing, wetland expansion and a Cabinet-level cancer task force. He opposes chemical-company immunity and eminent domain for carbon-capture pipelines. Also proposes an Office of Rural Prosperity, more local food processing and farm-to-school, farm-to-hospital and similar purchasing programs, and renewable-energy and agricultural-waste projects intended to create additional farm revenue.
Zach Lahn
Proposes banning Wall Street hedge funds from buying single-family homes, increasing property taxes on institutional investors and providing tax rebates or down-payment assistance to young Iowans who stay in or return to Iowa. He also proposes selling land found to be illegally owned by China to young families and veterans.
Rob Sand
Proposes banning hedge funds and large LLCs from buying excessive amounts of Iowa land, taxing out-of-state landowners at a higher rate and simplifying housing permits and inspections. He also supports interest-free down-payment assistance, restrictions on algorithmic rent price-fixing and a rural housing task force.
Zach Lahn
Supports a temporary moratorium while the state establishes minimum rules. He says counties should retain permitting authority and data centers should receive no property-tax abatements, pay their own costs and comply with environmental protections. He has also proposed taxing large data centers at five times the normal property-tax rate.
Rob Sand
Proposes ending state tax breaks for data centers and requiring companies to cover infrastructure and utility costs. He also supports public disclosure of water use, energy use, employment and wages; public hearings; local approval; setback requirements; and the use of Iowa union labor for construction.
Zach Lahn
Says life should be legally protected from conception to natural death. His campaign also says transgender surgeries and related drugs should not be allowed in Iowa, but no detailed proposal defining the age or scope of that policy was located. He proposes denying state benefits to undocumented immigrants and preventing state government and universities from using H-1B workers for jobs he says Iowans can perform. The available platform does not describe particular exceptions or enforcement mechanisms for these positions.
Rob Sand
Proposes legalizing and regulating adult-use cannabis for people 21 and older, and banning social-media accounts for children younger than 16 (requiring parental consent for ages 16 and 17), along with audits of social-media algorithms and additional protections for minors' data. He has said he would veto legislation he characterizes as "culture war" policy and specifically says he would oppose additional restrictions affecting contraception, IVF, surrogacy and health care providers. No detailed abortion proposal was located on his campaign website.
Zach Lahn
Supports further limiting the governor's emergency powers and transferring more authority to counties and municipalities, and opposes additional centralization of state authority over local governments. He says Iowa should challenge federal regulations in court when he believes agencies have exceeded their authority. He also says state contracts should prioritize Iowa companies and workers.
Rob Sand
Proposes one public primary open to all voters, with up to four candidates advancing to a general election using approval voting. His plans also include restoring the state auditor's authority, stronger whistleblower protections, and requiring prison time for theft of more than $10,000 in taxpayer money. On officeholder rules, he proposes banning stock trading by elected state officials and requiring more detailed financial disclosures; limiting statewide elected officials to three terms, legislators to 12 years and total state service to 20 years; an age limit of 78 for elected officials and judges; and requiring candidates to submit a physician's fitness letter and pass a civics test. He also proposes requiring 20 public town halls annually for statewide officials and five for legislators.
Positions are summarized from candidates' published plans and public statements. Inclusion does not constitute verification that a proposal would produce its stated result.
What the available record does — and does not — show
Full sourced write-ups of specific claims made about or by the candidates -- what's documented, what isn't, and each candidate's response -- live on their own page.
Aircraft record
Aircraft record
Public ADS-B records show activity for tail number N512MM, registered to Buckeye Creek Ventures LLC of Belle Plaine, IA. These records show the aircraft moved — they do not establish who was aboard or the purpose of a flight.
Reported events by county
See the interactive map on the homepage; the same data in table form:
County table (same data as the map on the homepage)
| County | Lahn events | Sand events |
|---|---|---|
| Adair | 0 | 1 |
| Adams | 0 | 1 |
| Allamakee | 0 | 1 |
| Appanoose | 1 | 1 |
| Audubon | 1 | 1 |
| Benton | 3 | 1 |
| Black Hawk | 2 | 0 |
| Boone | 0 | 1 |
| Bremer | 1 | 1 |
| Buchanan | 0 | 1 |
| Buena Vista | 0 | 1 |
| Butler | 1 | 1 |
| Calhoun | 0 | 1 |
| Carroll | 2 | 1 |
| Cass | 1 | 1 |
| Cedar | 1 | 1 |
| Cerro Gordo | 3 | 1 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 1 |
| Chickasaw | 1 | 1 |
| Clarke | 0 | 1 |
| Clay | 1 | 1 |
| Clayton | 1 | 1 |
| Clinton | 1 | 1 |
| Crawford | 1 | 1 |
| Dallas | 1 | 0 |
| Davis | 0 | 1 |
| Decatur | 0 | 1 |
| Delaware | 1 | 1 |
| Des Moines | 0 | 0 |
| Dickinson | 1 | 1 |
| Dubuque | 1 | 1 |
| Emmet | 1 | 1 |
| Fayette | 1 | 1 |
| Floyd | 0 | 1 |
| Franklin | 1 | 1 |
| Fremont | 1 | 1 |
| Greene | 0 | 1 |
| Grundy | 0 | 1 |
| Guthrie | 0 | 1 |
| Hamilton | 1 | 1 |
| Hancock | 0 | 1 |
| Hardin | 0 | 1 |
| Harrison | 1 | 1 |
| Henry | 0 | 1 |
| Howard | 0 | 1 |
| Humboldt | 0 | 1 |
| Ida | 1 | 1 |
| Iowa | 0 | 1 |
| Jackson | 1 | 1 |
| Jasper | 2 | 1 |
| Jefferson | 0 | 1 |
| Johnson | 2 | 0 |
| Jones | 0 | 1 |
| Keokuk | 0 | 1 |
| Kossuth | 0 | 1 |
| Lee | 1 | 2 |
| Linn | 2 | 0 |
| Louisa | 1 | 0 |
| Lucas | 0 | 1 |
| Lyon | 1 | 1 |
| Madison | 0 | 1 |
| Mahaska | 2 | 1 |
| Marion | 0 | 0 |
| Marshall | 1 | 1 |
| Mills | 1 | 1 |
| Mitchell | 1 | 1 |
| Monona | 0 | 1 |
| Monroe | 0 | 1 |
| Montgomery | 0 | 1 |
| Muscatine | 0 | 1 |
| O'Brien | 1 | 1 |
| Osceola | 1 | 1 |
| Page | 1 | 1 |
| Palo Alto | 0 | 1 |
| Plymouth | 1 | 1 |
| Pocahontas | 0 | 1 |
| Polk | 8 | 1 |
| Pottawattamie | 3 | 1 |
| Poweshiek | 1 | 0 |
| Ringgold | 0 | 1 |
| Sac | 0 | 1 |
| Scott | 4 | 0 |
| Shelby | 1 | 1 |
| Sioux | 1 | 1 |
| Story | 0 | 0 |
| Tama | 1 | 0 |
| Taylor | 0 | 1 |
| Union | 0 | 1 |
| Van Buren | 0 | 1 |
| Wapello | 1 | 1 |
| Warren | 1 | 1 |
| Washington | 1 | 1 |
| Wayne | 0 | 1 |
| Webster | 1 | 1 |
| Winnebago | 0 | 1 |
| Winneshiek | 0 | 1 |
| Woodbury | 3 | 1 |
| Worth | 0 | 1 |
| Wright | 0 | 1 |