More than 100 registered Iowa Republicans have signed on to endorse Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand. The campaign’s Monday announcement is a bid to showcase crossover appeal in what’s shaping up to be one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country.
The so-called “Rob-Publicans” include former Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa Steven C. Noah, a sitting Clay County supervisor, a Sac County attorney, and a former state representative, among others. The campaign also says Sand has received over 1,800 donations from registered Republican voters
Walsh told Iowa Starting Line that his endorsement came down to a simple contrast: Sand keeps showing up, and in Council Bluffs, he said Republicans haven’t.
“The only time I saw the governor in Council Bluffs was when Reynolds flew into the airport,” Walsh said, referring to outgoing Gov. Kim Reynolds. He said Sand has visited Council Bluffs three times with a fourth trip coming. “He listens to people.”
Walsh was blunter about Lahn, the MAHA-aligned political operative and Kansas private school founder who upset Trump-endorsed US Rep. Randy Feenstra in this month’s Republican primary by less than a percentage point.
“I don’t know Zach Lahn from a hill of beans,” Walsh said.
Walsh, a lifelong Republican, also leveled a pointed fiscal critique at the GOP-controlled legislature, arguing it cut commercial tax rates while expecting economic growth that never came — and has since relied on COVID relief money to cover the resulting budget gaps.
“You can’t cut revenues and increase spending,” he said. “And that’s what they’ve done.”
Sand, the state’s only Democratic statewide officeholder, won reelection as auditor in 2022 even as Republicans swept every other statewide race — a track record his campaign is leaning on to argue he can win over conservative voters in November.
The Republican Party of Iowa did not respond to a call for comment.
The race is rated a toss-up by multiple forecasters. Lahn enters the general election with roughly $636,000 on hand to Sand’s $18.3 million.
Here’s the full list of “Rob-Publicans” named in the release:
- Former Deputy Attorney General Thomas H. Miller, Polk
- Former Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, Pottawattamie
- Former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa Steven C. Noah, Polk
- Former Council Bluffs Police Captain Terry LeMaster, Pottawattamie
- Spillville Mayor Paul Wermers, Winneshiek
- Sac County Attorney Ben Smith, Sac
- Former Crawford County Sheriff Jim Steinkuehler, Crawford
- Gavin Vanderpol, Lucas
- Former Atlantic City Councilman Chris Jimerson, Cass
- Stephen Schwartz, Muscatine
- Former Waukon City Councilman John Ellingson, Allamakee
- Former Sheldon City Councilman Aaron Alons, O’Brien
- Former Mayor of Riverdale Mike Bawden, Scott
- Former Missouri Valley Mayor Clint Sargent, Harrison
- Brian Downing, Dickinson
- Clay County Supervisor Barry Anderson, Clay
- Restore Liberty Iowa State Director Tim Grover, Jackson
- Former Iowa Lottery CEO Terry Rich, Dallas
- Emmet County Auditor Heidi Goebel, Emmet
- Former Tama City Councilman Skip (Bernard) Lowe, Poweshiek
- Connie Reichart, Cass
- Catherine Feid, Dallas
- Former Sheldon City Councilman Wayne Barahona, O’Brien
- Corey Trucke, Ida
- Elisabeth Lovett, Polk
- Former Republican Chair for Bob Ray and Mitt Romney Sandy Hoenig, Madison
- Carson City Councilman Troy Graves, Pottawattamie
- Ranney L Ramsey, Polk
- Byron Tabor, Linn
- Heather Schrock, Benton
- Diane Siglin, Polk
- Jay Vogel, Lyon
- Guy Wendler, Linn
- Roger Wilcox, Bremer
- Wanda Johnson, Adair
- Former Council Bluffs City Councilman Nate Watson, Pottawattamie
- Craig McWilliams, Story
- Matthew Hagarty, Johnson
- Mikael Nielsen, Dubuque
- Adyson Hildebrand, Crawford
- Jaxson Hildebrand, Crawford
- Edward Soenke, Polk
- Tom Swegle, Polk
- John Bond, Grundy
- Paul Wilkerson, Lee
- Ronald Crooker, Fayette
- John Chesser, Polk
- Jennifer Buren, Jasper
- Suzanne Paulson, Polk
- Patty Harp, Webster
- Matt Youmans, Johnson
- Joel Timmerman, Winneshiek
- Karen Schreiber, Boone
- John Schreurs, O’Brien
- Donald Luallen, Scott
- Marvin Smith, Story
- Stephanie Krauth, Buena Vista
- Murray Fenn, Pottawattamie
- Kyle Schveiger, Cedar
- Richard McKean, Emmet
- Amy Edmondson, Polk
- Debbie Edmondson, Polk
- Levi Berthel, Jackson
- Kevin Stumpf, Calhoun
- Sherry Pede, Polk
- Bryan Blacker, Lee
- Jon Kallen, Polk
- Lindsey Pace, Story
- Adam Kenny, Dubuque
- Stratton Bond, Keokuk
- Corbin Kingery, Polk
- Brian Hurt, Jones
- Dennis Dyrland, Linn
- Barbara Hansen, Dallas
- Danielle Brazant, Linn
- Brent Wykert, Johnson
- Gordon Mullin, Cerro Gordo
- Kathleen Zeka, Pocahontas
- Mace Hensen, Polk
- Former State Representative Walt Tomenga, Dallas
- Helen Pollock, Mills
- Hannah Bierbaum, Cass
- Michael Howland, Warren
- Amy Meyer, Linn
- Rex Peterson, Wright
- William Ralston, Union
- Anthony Walter, Webster
- Angie Heiden, Crawford
- Angela Gillick, Black Hawk
- Trent Hancock, Johnson
- Donna Spencer, Madison
- Scott Brown, Page
- Nicholas Hall, Delaware
- Mellissa Lampe, Plymouth
- Keith Hyland, Polk
- Susan Hyland, Polk
- Cheryl Vierhout, Sioux
- Janice Klarenbeek, Sioux
- Calvin Klarenbeek, Sioux
- Rose Brosam, Cass
- Vicki Breckenridge, Dallas
- Tony Webb, Jefferson
- Jane Kauzlarich, Dickinson
- Michael Griffin, Jackson
- Terry L. Johnson, Greene
