The 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Iowa. Republican businessman Zach Lahn and Democratic state auditor Rob Sand are the nominees for their respective parties. Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds is not seeking a third term.
Primary elections were held on June 2, 2026. In the Republican primary, congressman Randy Feenstra emerged as the frontrunner after being endorsed by President Donald Trump, but Lahn won the nomination in an upset with 37.65% of the vote. Sand was the only candidate to qualify for the ballot in the Democratic primary.
This is the first open gubernatorial election in Iowa since 2006 and the first to be held at the same time as the open Senate election since 1968. The 2006 gubernatorial election is the most recent won by Democrats in Iowa.
Background Iowa is considered to be a moderate-to-strong red state, with both chambers of its state legislature controlled by the Republican Party. However, in special elections in 2025, Iowa Republicans lost their supermajority in the Iowa Senate. Republicans still maintain their supermajority in the Iowa House of Representatives that they won in 2024. The last time the Democratic Party won a gubernatorial election in Iowa was in 2006. All 4 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa have been Republicans since 2022 and Republicans have won all U.S. Senate elections in Iowa since 2010, making Iowa's congressional delegation entirely Republican. Iowa has voted for Republican presidents since 2016, trending in favor of the Republican Party increasingly since then. Sand was the only Democratic candidate who statewide in 2022, as he won the 2022_Iowa_State_Auditor_election by just 2,893 votes.
Republican primary Candidates Nominee Zach Lahn, businessman Running mate: Derek Wulf, state representative from the 76th district (2023–present)
Eliminated in primary Eddie Andrews, state representative from the 43rd district (2021–present) Randy Feenstra, U.S. representative from (2021–present) Brad Sherman, former state representative from the 91st district (2023–2025) Adam Steen, former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (2021–2025)
Declined Brenna Bird, attorney general of Iowa (2023–present) (running for re-election) Mike Bousselot, state senator from the 21st district (2023–present) (ran for re-election; later withdrew) Chris Cournoyer, lieutenant governor of Iowa (2024–present) (running for state auditor; endorsed Feenstra) Pat Grassley, speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives (2020–present) from the 57th district (2007–present) and grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (running for re-election) Ashley Hinson, U.S. representative from (2021–present) (running for U.S. Senate) Bobby Kaufmann, state representative from the 82nd district (2013–present) (running for re-election) Kari Lake, senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (2025–present) and nominee for governor of Arizona in 2022 and U.S. senator in 2024 Mariannette Miller-Meeks, U.S. representative from Iowa's 1st congressional district (2021–present) (running for re-election; endorsed Feenstra) Mike Naig, Iowa secretary of agriculture (2018–present) (running for re-election; endorsed Feenstra) Zach Nunn, U.S. representative from (2023–present) (running for re-election) Kim Reynolds, incumbent governor (2017–present) (declined to endorse) Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, nominee for lieutenant governor in 2006, and candidate for governor in 2002, 2006, and 2010 (endorsed Steen)
Endorsements
Debates
2026 Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary debates Date Host Moderator Link Participants Participant Absent Non-invitee Invitee Withdrawn Feenstra Lahn Sherman Steen Andrews 1 April 28, 2026 Iowa PBS Kay Henderson PBSAAPPP 2 May 19, 2026 KCCI Amanda Rooker Dave Price KCCIAPPPP
Polling Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error EddieAndrews RandyFeenstra ZachLahn BradSherman AdamSteen UndecidedJMC Analytics (R)May 27–28, 2026550 (A)± 4.2%4%22%24%8%15%27%4%24%27%9%16%19%Victory Enterprises (R)April 14–15, 2026500 (LV)± 4.4%5%41%8%5%9%32%
Results
Democratic primary Candidates Nominee Rob Sand, Iowa auditor of state (2019–present) Running mate: Dave Muhlbauer, Crawford County supervisor (2017–2021, 2023–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
Disqualified Julie Stauch, business development professional and former Iowa political director for the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign
Endorsements
Results
Libertarian primary Candidates On June 2, the Gluba campaign submitted over 8,000 signatures to the Iowa Secretary of State, satisfying the 3,500 signature requirement to qualify for the ballot. However, later he got disqualified from the ballot as he did not follow the proper legal procedures when trying to substitute his running mate.
Disqualified Nicholas Gluba, Lone Tree city councilor and nominee for in 2024
Independents Candidates Did not qualify Sondra Wilson, pre-law student (previously ran as a Democrat)
General election
Campaign Though originally from Iowa, Zach Lahn faced scrutiny following reporting by The Des Moines Register that he lived in Kansas until 2023, when he allegedly returned to Iowa. Lahn registered to vote in Iowa on October 17, 2024, ahead of the 2024 election. The newspaper later reported that flight records indicated Lahn spent 75 nights in Wichita, Kansas between October 2025 and spring 2026, frequently traveling there by private plane. Lahn said the trips were related to custody arrangements involving his children, who live in Kansas.
Rob Sand criticized Lahn as a "part-time Iowan" and a carpetbagger, arguing that his frequent travel to Kansas conflicted with his "Iowa First" campaign message. Sand, meanwhile, has faced criticism from Governor Kim Reynolds and other state Republicans, who have accused him of using high-profile audits and allegations of fraud to bolster his political profile.
In early September, The Des Moines Register reported that the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office was investigating Lahn's running mate, Wulf, for theft and fraud in relation to accusations that Wulf had misled lenders and business associates about his finances.
Predictions SourceRankingAs ofThe Cook Political ReportOctober 1, 2026Decision Desk HQOctober 5, 2026Fox NewsJuly 23, 2026Inside ElectionsOctober 1, 2026RealClearPoliticsOctober 5, 2026Sabato's Crystal BallSeptember 29, 2026Silver Bulletin October 7, 2026
Post-primary endorsements
Debates 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election debates Date Host Moderators Link Participants Participant Absent Non-invitee Invitee Withdrawn Rob Sand Zack Lahn 1 October 6, 2026 KWQC William Ingalls, Marcia Lense and Matt ChristensenKCRG
Polling Aggregate polls Source of pollaggregationDatesadministeredDatesupdated ZachLahn (R) RobSand (D) Other/Undecided Margin270toWinSeptember 11 – October 4, 2026October 4, 202642.0%51.4%6.6%Sand +9.4%FiftyPlusOnethrough October 4, 2026October 7, 202642.3%51.9%5.8%Sand +9.6%RealClearPoliticsAugust 20 – October 4, 2026October 7, 202642.8%51.0%6.2%Sand +8.2%Silver Bulletinthrough October 1, 2026October 4, 202642.7%51.2%6.1%Sand +8.5%Average42.5%51.4%6.2%Sand +8.9%
Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error ZachLahn (R) RobSand (D) Other UndecidedSuffolk UniversityOctober 1–4, 2026500 (LV)± 4.4%43%55%2%New York Times/Siena UniversitySeptember 22 – October 1, 2026606 (LV)± 4.6%41%52%7%Beacon Research (D)/Shaw & Co. Research (R)September 24–28, 20261,008 (LV)± 3.0%44%53%3%1,204 (RV)± 2.5%43%53%1%3%Marist UniversitySeptember 17–20, 20261,050 (RV)± 4.4%42%54%2%2%co/efficient (R)September 14–16, 2026831 (LV)± 3.4%42%46%–12%Cygnal (R)September 9–11, 2026500 (LV)± 4.4%44%48%8%YouGovSeptember 3–8, 20262,169 (RV)± 3.5%39%50%1%10%2,041 (LV)± 3.5%41%51%8%Emerson CollegeAugust 31 – September 1, 2026750 (LV)± 3.6%46%49%—6%Wedgewood PollsAugust 27–29, 2026600 (LV)± 4.6%46%51%—3%Suffolk UniversityAugust 20–23, 2026500 (LV)± 4.4%44%48%—8%Emerson CollegeAugust 2–4, 2026712 (LV)± 3.7%43%48%2%7%Beacon Research (D)/Shaw & Co. Research (R)June 23–27, 20261,003 (RV)± 3.0%44%53%—3%New York Times/Siena UniversityJune 15–27, 2026600 (LV)± 4.7%47%48%—5%Cygnal (R)June 16–19, 2026600 (LV)± 4.0%43%48%—9%
Randy Feenstra vs. Rob Sand Poll source Date(s)administered Samplesize Marginof error RandyFeenstra (R) RobSand (D) UndecidedEchelon InsightsApril 3–9, 2026377 (LV)± 6.6%39%51%10%GBAO (D)March 10–16, 20261,200 (LV)± 2.8%42%50%8%Z to A Research (D)October 9–13, 20251,351 (LV)± 2.7%43%45%12%
Results
See also 2026 United States elections 2026 Iowa elections 2026 United States Senate election in Iowa
Notes
Partisan and media clients
References
External links Official campaign websites Zach Lahn (R) Rob Sand (D) Sondra Wilson (I)