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You are here: Home / 2026 Campaign / Rob Sand Could Break Iowa’s GOP Governor Streak

Rob Sand Could Break Iowa’s GOP Governor Streak

July 14, 2026 at 8:46 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“With President Trump’s approval ratings languishing and Democratic candidates polling well, Rob Sand, Iowa’s state auditor, could become the state’s first Democratic governor in 16 years after November’s election,” the New York Times reports.

“Yet as governor, Mr. Sand would be unable to block Republican priorities if the GOP wins a supermajority in the state legislature. Republicans would have the numbers to override any of his vetoes, as Govs. Laura Kelly of Kansas and Andy Beshear of Kentucky, both Democratic leaders in Republican states, know all too well.”

“So Democrats are leaning on a handful of moderate newcomers — bolstered by outside money — to flip several districts in November, and influence the balance of power in a state that has gone from consummate battleground to ruby red over the past decade.”

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Filed Under: 2026 Campaign, State House

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About Political Wire

Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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