Rob Sand, Iowa’s elected state auditor and the only Democrat now holding a major political office in the state, said on Monday that he would run for governor next year, boosting his party’s hopes of gaining a policymaking foothold in a place that Republicans dominate.
Mr. Sand has won two statewide elections, but to become governor he would need to overcome a decade of political trends favoring Republicans. Since President Trump became the leader of the party, Iowa Republicans have amassed large legislative majorities and won all six seats in the state’s congressional delegation.
The incumbent governor, Kim Reynolds, a Republican, said last month that she would not seek re-election to a third full term, setting up an open Republican primary that could attract several prominent conservatives.
Iowa is expected to be one of several Midwest states with closely contested governor’s races next year. Republicans are hoping to capture governorships now held by Democrats in Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Mr. Sand has been a highly visible state auditor, examining state agencies and at times clashing with Ms. Reynolds. He has also worked to build a personal political brand that is distinct from his party. In his announcement video, posted to social media on Monday, he described his background as an auditor and prosecutor without once mentioning that he is a Democrat.
“I’m doing it because we need more public service and less politics,” Mr. Sand said in the video about his run for governor. “A lot of politicians yap about making a place redder or bluer. I want Iowa to be better and truer.”
Iowa was once a swing state. Former President Barack Obama carried the state twice, and the Democrats had a majority in the State Senate until the 2016 election.
Under Ms. Reynolds, however, the state government has moved in a sharply conservative direction. Lawmakers have passed restrictions in recent years on abortion, transgender people and school library books, and have limited the power of Mr. Sand’s office as auditor. So far, voters have rewarded the Republicans. Mr. Trump carried the state in each of the last three presidential elections, including by a 13-point margin in 2024.
Over that time, Mr. Sand has become a political outlier. Two other Democrats in statewide office, the treasurer and attorney general, lost their seats by narrow margins in the 2022 election. Mr. Sand won re-election that year by about 3,000 votes out of about 1.2 million cast.
Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains.
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