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2026 Iowa gubernatorial election

2026 Iowa gubernatorial election

The 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Iowa. Incumbent Republican governor Kim Reynolds declined to seek re-election to a third term. Primary elections were held on June 2, 2026.

2026 Iowa gubernatorial election

2026 Iowa gubernatorial election
← 2022
November 3, 2026
2030 →
 
Nominee Zach Lahn Rob Sand
Party Republican Democratic
Running mate Derek Wulf Dave Muhlbauer
Incumbent governor

Kim Reynolds
Republican


The 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Iowa. Incumbent Republican governor Kim Reynolds declined to seek re-election to a third term.[1] Primary elections were held on June 2, 2026.[2]

This is the first open seat gubernatorial election in the state since 2006, which was the last gubernatorial election in Iowa won by a Democrat. This is also the first gubernatorial election in the state to be an open seat election at the same time as the concurrent Senate election since 1968.[3]

Businessman Zach Lahn won the Republican primary, defeating U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra in what was considered an upset. State Auditor Rob Sand was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

  • Zach Lahn, businessman and farmer[4]

Eliminated in primary

Declined

Endorsements

Randy Feenstra
Executive branch officials
U.S. senators
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Zach Lahn
U.S. representatives
Individuals
Organizations
Brad Sherman
Executive branch officials
State legislators
Adam Steen
State legislators
Individuals
Organizations
Mike Bousselot (declined)
Executive branch officials
Declined to endorse
Statewide officials

Debates

2026 Iowa Republican gubernatorial primary debates
No. Date Host Moderator Link Participants
 P  Participant   A  Absent   N  Non-invitee   I  Invitee W  Withdrawn
Feenstra Lahn Sherman Steen Andrews
1 April 28, 2026 Iowa PBS Kay Henderson PBS A A P P P
2[45] May 19, 2026 KCCI Amanda Rooker
Dave Price		 KCCI A P P P P

Polling

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Eddie
Andrews		 Randy
Feenstra		 Zach
Lahn		 Brad
Sherman		 Adam
Steen		 Undecided
JMC Analytics (R)[46] May 27–28, 2026 550 (A) ± 4.2% 4% 22% 24% 8% 15% 27%
Victory Enterprises (R)[47][A] April 14–15, 2026 500 (LV) ± 4.4% 5% 41% 8% 5% 9% 32%

Results

County results
  Lahn
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  Feenstra
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
  •   50–60%
  Steen
  •   30–40%
  Sherman
  •   30–40%
Congressional district results
  Lahn
  •   30–40%
  Feenstra
  •   30–40%
  •   40–50%
Republican primary results[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Zach Lahn 80,765 37.65
Republican Randy Feenstra 79,113 36.88
Republican Adam Steen 31,087 14.49
Republican Brad Sherman 15,076 7.03
Republican Eddie Andrews 7,694 3.59
Write-in 794 0.37
Total votes 214,529 100.00

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Disqualified

Did not file

  • Paul Dahl, bus driver and perennial candidate[51]

Endorsements

Rob Sand
Statewide officials
Labor unions
Organizations

Results

Democratic primary results[48]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Rob Sand 189,442 99.61
Write-in 751 0.39
Total votes 190,193 100.00

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Declared

Results

On June 2, the Laehn campaign submitted over 8,000 signatures to the Iowa Secretary of State, satisfying the 3,500 signature requirement to qualify for the ballot.[60]

General election

Candidates

Declared

Predictions

Source Ranking As of
The Cook Political Report[65] Tossup April 9, 2026
Inside Elections[66] Tilt R June 3, 2026
Sabato's Crystal Ball[67] Tossup June 2, 2026
Race to the WH[68] Likely D (flip) June 3, 2026
RealClearPolitics[69] Tossup June 5, 2026

Post-primary endorsements

Zach Lahn (R)
U.S. representatives
Statewide officials
State legislators
Individuals
Rob Sand (D)
Statewide officials

Polling

Hypothetical polling

Randy Feenstra vs. Rob Sand

Poll source Date(s)
administered		 Sample
size[a]		 Margin
of error		 Randy
Feenstra (R)		 Rob
Sand (D)		 Undecided
Echelon Insights[74] April 3–9, 2026 377 (LV) ± 6.6% 39% 51% 10%
GBAO (D)[75][B] March 10–16, 2026 1,200 (LV) ± 2.8% 42% 50% 8%
Z to A Research (D)[76][77] October 9–13, 2025 1,351 (LV) ± 2.7% 43% 45% 12%

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Key:
    A – all adults
    RV – registered voters
    LV – likely voters
    V – unclear

Partisan and media clients

  1. ↑ Poll sponsored by Feenstra's campaign
  2. ↑ Poll sponsored by Josh Turek's campaign, who is a Democratic candidate in the Iowa U.S. Senate election

References

  1. 1 2 Pfannenstiel, Brianne (April 11, 2025). "Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds announces she will not seek reelection to another term". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  2. ↑ "State of Iowa Election Calendar 2026" (PDF). Secretary of State of Iowa. January 1, 2025. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 21, 2026. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Could Iowa Democrats Win 2026's Gubernatorial and US Senate Races?". Smart Politics. June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  4. ↑ Allen, Jonathan (June 2, 2026). "MAHA-backed Zach Lahn defeats Trump-backed Randy Feenstra in Iowa GOP primary for governor". NBC News.
  5. ↑ Sostaric, Katarina (June 5, 2025). "Republican state Rep. Eddie Andrews launches campaign for Iowa governor". Iowa Public Radio.
  6. ↑ Fortinsky, Sarah (October 28, 2025). "Rep. Randy Feenstra formally launches Iowa governor bid". The Hill. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (February 17, 2025). "Former Republican state representative to challenge Kim Reynolds for Iowa governor seat". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 17, 2025.
  8. ↑ Hoff, Maya Marchel (August 28, 2025). "'I'm the faith guy': Former Iowa DAS head Adam Steen launches gubernatorial bid". The Gazette. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  9. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (July 2, 2025). "Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird won't run for governor in 2026". Des Moines Register. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
  10. ↑ Opsahl, Robin (November 19, 2025). "Iowa Sen. Mike Bousselot announces he will run for reelection, not governor". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved November 21, 2025.
  11. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (April 28, 2025). "Iowa Lieutenant Governor Chris Cournoyer files paperwork to run for state auditor in 2026". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "Feenstra garners endorsements from fellow Republicans ahead of gubernatorial race". KCCI. July 8, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Pat Grassley, Iowa House Speaker, to run again, highlighting commitment to constituents". KGAN. June 27, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2025. Rep. Grassley had previously said he was considering a run for governor
  14. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (April 29, 2025). "Republican US Rep. Ashley Hinson rules out running for Iowa governor in 2026". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 29, 2025.
  15. ↑ Richards, Zoë (September 2, 2025). "GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson announces Senate bid for open Iowa seat". NBC News. Retrieved September 2, 2025.
  16. ↑ Tallal, Skylar (July 14, 2025). "Iowa House GOP sets leadership election date, Rep. Kaufmann vying for the position". KGAN. Retrieved July 14, 2025. GOP State Rep. Bobby Kaufmann said he couldn't pass up the opportunity to run for [majority leader]. He originally was strongly considering a run for governor but said a statewide position isn't in the cards
  17. ↑ Martin, Sabine (April 17, 2025). "Is Kari Lake returning to Iowa to run for political office? What she said". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks will not run for governor in 2026". KCRG-TV. April 15, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  19. ↑ Wilde, Wendy; Snover, JD; Burnett, Claire (June 2, 2025). "Iowa Congresswoman Says She Will Run for Re-Election in 2026". WHO. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Naig announces re-election campaign for agriculture secretary, will not run for Iowa governor". KCCI. May 20, 2025. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  21. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (July 11, 2025). "Zach Nunn to run for reelection to Congress, not Iowa governor - after talking to Trump". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
  22. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (July 9, 2025). "Bob Vander Plaats warns Iowa Republicans that Rob Sand is 'compelling' governor candidate". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 29, 2025. Vander Plaats waved off any suggestion he might be compelled to seek the nomination himself. 'I'm not running,' he said.
  23. 1 2 3 Rooker, Amanda (March 7, 2026). "Adam Steen pitches business background and conservative views in run for Iowa governor". KCCI. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
  24. 1 2 "Branstad: I'm endorsing Randy Feenstra for governor". The Gazette. March 17, 2026. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  25. 1 2 "Iowa Sen. Mike Bousselot launching exploratory campaign for 2026 governor's race". KCCI. April 21, 2025. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  26. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (May 29, 2026). "Donald Trump endorses Randy Feenstra for governor in Iowa primary". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  27. ↑ Baccari, Ray (May 21, 2026). "Iowa secretary of agriculture endorses Feenstra in gubernatorial race". KGAN. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Campaign Almanac: Iowa construction union backs Summit pipeline, Senate GOP eminent domain bill". The Gazette. January 30, 2026. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Campaign Almanac: Naig will seek re-election as ag secretary, not run for Iowa governor". The Gazette. May 20, 2025. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  30. ↑ "Feenstra announces 1st endorsement in his gubernatorial bid". The Gazette. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 "Campaign Almanac: State lawmakers endorse Feenstra for Iowa governor". The Gazette. Retrieved November 25, 2025.
  32. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne. "Steve King endorses Zach Lahn in Iowa governor's race". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  33. ↑ Barton, Tom (May 6, 2026). "Former SNL cast member headed to Iowa to campaign for Zach Lahn". The Gazette. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  34. ↑ Goldman, Maya (December 8, 2025). "MAHA group begins state election endorsements". Axios. Retrieved December 9, 2025.
  35. ↑ Stahl, Jay (June 4, 2026). "Steak 'n Shake scores MAHA win in beef with Trump-backed congressman". USA Today.
  36. ↑ https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/turning-point-usa-endorses-zach-lahn-for-iowa-governor
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Barton, Tom (April 16, 2025). "Now that Kim Reynolds won't seek re-election, which Republicans are eyeing a run for Iowa governor?". The Gazette. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  38. ↑ "State Rep. Dean Fisher endorses Adam Steen for Iowa governor". Daily Nonpareil. December 24, 2025. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  39. ↑ "State Sen. Charlie McClintock endorses Steen for governor". The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Iowa GOP congressional, governor hopefuls notch new endorsements". The Gazette. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  41. ↑ "North Iowa legislator endorses Adam Steen for governor". Courier. February 28, 2026. Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Iowa governor candidate Adam Steen picks up endorsement for Dan Gable". KGAN. May 15, 2026. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  43. ↑ Warren, Isabella (March 17, 2026). "Family Leader endorses Adam Steen in Iowa governor's race". KCRG. Retrieved March 17, 2026.
  44. ↑ "Reynolds says she won't endorse a GOP candidate for governor before Primary". Radio Iowa. Retrieved April 25, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Iowa primaries: Republican candidates for governor debate water quality, cancer rates". Texas AFL-CIO. May 9, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026 – via KCCI.
  46. ↑ "Iowa Statewide GOP Primary Republican Primary Election" (PDF). JMC Analytics and Polling. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  47. ↑ "Survey: Feenstra Holds Commanding Lead For Republican Nomination For Governor". KIWA (AM). April 17, 2026. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  48. 1 2 "2026 Primary Election - June 2, 2026". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  49. ↑ Tallal, Skylar (May 12, 2025). "Iowa Auditor Rob Sand announces 2026 gubernatorial run". KGAN. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  50. ↑ "Democrat Julie Stauch exits race for Iowa governor after petition issues". KCCI. March 14, 2026. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
  51. ↑ Hendricks, Conner (November 13, 2024). "Democrat announces candidacy for 2026 Iowa gubernatorial race". KCRG-TV. Retrieved November 16, 2024.
  52. ↑ Boys, Seth (May 14, 2025). "Rob Sand enters race for Iowa governor". Decorah Leader. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
  53. ↑ Nelson, Trish (December 9, 2025). "AFSCME To Endorse Rob Sand For Iowa Governor". Blog For Iowa. Retrieved December 10, 2025.
  54. ↑ Robinson, Tom (November 3, 2025). "Iowa Federation Of Labor Endorsing Rob Sand For Governor". Retrieved April 6, 2026.
  55. ↑ Werner, Kyle. "Rob Sand speaks to hundreds of Iowa educators, earns ISEA support". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  56. ↑ "Rob Sand Endorsement". Retrieved March 27, 2026.
  57. ↑ Lang, Tommy (August 28, 2025). "Rob Sand picks up big endorsement from health care sector". KCJJ. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  58. ↑ Lee-Gazette Des Moines Bureau (November 7, 2025). "Union group UAW endorses Democrat Rob Sand for Iowa governor". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. Retrieved November 12, 2025.
  59. ↑ "End Citizens United Endorses Rob Sand for Iowa Governor". admin.endcitizensunited.org. May 22, 2025. Retrieved May 22, 2025.
  60. 1 2 IOWA, LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF (June 5, 2026). "Nicholas Gluba Secures Ballot Access for Iowa Governor Race". Community Newspaper Group. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  61. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (June 12, 2026). "Zach Lahn announces Derek Wulf as running mate in Iowa governor's race". Des Moines Register.
  62. ↑ "Rob Sand picks western Iowa county supervisor as running mate". KCCI. June 8, 2026.
  63. ↑ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (July 28, 2025). "2026 Iowa governor's race: Who's in, who's out and who's on the fence". Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 5, 2025. Ames resident and Iowa State University student Sondra Wilson has filed paperwork with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board to run for governor as a no-party candidate in 2026.
  64. ↑ James, Kayla (June 5, 2025). "Democrat Sondra Wilson advocates for housing, health and LGBTQ+ rights in Iowa governor bid". KCCI. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  65. ↑ "2026 CPR Governor Race ratings". Cook Political Report. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
  66. ↑ "Gubernatorial Ratings". Inside Elections. Retrieved February 7, 2025.
  67. ↑ "2026 Governor". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  68. ↑ "Governor Forecast - 2026-2026". Race to the WH. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  69. ↑ "2026 Governor Races | RealClearPolitics". RealClearPolitics. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  70. 1 2 3 Pfannenstiel, Brianne (June 2, 2026). "Who won the Iowa governor race? GOP voters pick their candidate". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  71. ↑ Olson, Grace (June 3, 2026). "Zach Lahn wins Iowa republican governor nomination". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  72. ↑ Buerger, Mark (June 3, 2026). "Zach Lahn wins Iowa GOP governor primary in tight race". KIMT3 News. Retrieved June 11, 2026.
  73. ↑ Fingerhut, Hannah (June 7, 2026). "Rob Sand to rally in Iowa governor bid with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear as Democrats eye a flip". AP News. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  74. ↑ Foster, Zoey (April 21, 2026). "NEW: 72% of Americans Want Regulators to Focus on Lowering Prices Ahead of Midterms, NOT Punishing Success". NetChoice. Retrieved April 21, 2026.
  75. ↑ "Big Democratic Opportunity in Iowa Senate Race". Politico. March 31, 2026. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  76. ↑ "Democrat Leads Republican for Governor in State Trump Won 3 Times — Poll". Newsweek. October 30, 2025. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
  77. ↑ Zdunkewicz, Nancy (October 30, 2025). "Rob Sand Has Early Lead in Iowa Governor Race". Z to A Research. Retrieved October 31, 2025.
Official campaign websites