Rob Sand’s governor campaign raises $2.25 million in first 24 hours

Rob Sand reports recordbreaking fundraising in the first 24 hours of his campaign for governor. 

Rob Sand entered the Iowa governor’s race Monday with an impressive $8 million war chest. And today, his campaign reports that it saw another $2 million pour in on his first day as a candidate.

“For too long, Iowa families have been left behind while our elected officials work for their special interests and powerful insiders. These last 24 hours have proven that Iowans are rejecting the status quo that has left them worse off, and are ready for something different,” Sand said in a statement. “I’m grateful to the Iowans who put their trust in me and who gave their hard-earned dollars to support this campaign so I can continue fighting for all Iowans in the governor’s office.” 

According to a release, the donations came from all 99 Iowa counties and broke state records for the most raised on the first day in the state’s gubernatorial campaign history. 

Back in January, Sand made headlines when his campaign finance report revealed he raised approximately $8 million during an off-year, before his campaign launched. This included approximately $7 million from family members and about 28,000 smaller individual donations. His wife, Christine, contributed $3 million, while his in-laws, Nancy and Nixon Lauridsen, provided another $4 million.

The campaign said the $2.25 million raised over the last 24 hours did not include any self-funding or donations from Sand’s family and includes donations from registered Democrats, Republicans, and Independents across the state.

University of Northern Iowa political science professor Christopher Larimer studies state elections and has written about Iowa’s “unique tendency to reelect governors at an unprecedented rate.” He said early money in a race like this is important as neither side will benefit from incumbency.

“We don’t see many open races in Iowa. When incumbents run in Iowa, they tend to win. That’s part of what that early money is about: building momentum for 2026,” he said.

Larimer said Iowa’s electorate has been trending towards supporting Republicans over Democrats in recent years. But as 2026 will be a midterm year, “macrolevel factors” like the president’s popularity and the US economy could shape races up and down the ballot.

Under Iowa law, campaign finance reports come out quarterly in the year leading up to the election. Available reports do not yet include this week’s fundraising. Those numbers will appear at the end of the year. 

Iowa’s fundraising laws are comparatively permissive. Groups and individuals are allowed to contribute an unlimited amount to state races. Meanwhile, banks, corporations, credit unions, and insurance companies are barred from donating to campaigns. 

This isn’t the first time a Democrat has seen a fundraising advantage. In 2018, the governor’s race between Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Democrat Fred Hubbell was the most expensive in state history. Hubbell raised twice as much as Reynolds. By the end of October, he’d raised a record $28 million. But Reynolds ultimately won with 50.3% of the vote. 

In 2022’s race, Reynolds significantly outraised Democrat Deidre DeJear. Reynolds had nearly $2.5 million remaining in her October 2022 report, while DeJear had just $366,000. Reynolds won reelection with 58% of the vote. 

US Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa’s 4th Congressional District filed paperwork Monday to run for governor, though he has not launched his campaign. Before him, state Sen. Mike Bousselot launched an exploratory committee for the office.

Attorney General Brenna Bird, state Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig, House Speaker Pat Grassley, and state Rep. Bobby Kaufmann have also expressed interest in the office. Former state Rep. Brad Sherman had already announced his candidacy before Reynolds declared she would not run again.

Update: This article was updated with additional context form political scientist Christopher Larimer.

Correction: Donations made in 2025 for the 2026 governor’s election won’t appear in campaign finance reports until the end of the year. An earlier version of this story misstated that timeline. That report will be available in December.