{"id":227,"date":"2026-06-03T06:15:52","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T06:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/professionalmoversusa.com\/?p=227"},"modified":"2026-06-03T06:15:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T06:15:52","slug":"zach-lahn-projected-to-win-iowa-gop-governor-primary-upsetting-trumps-pick-in-a-state-democrats-hope-to-flip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/professionalmoversusa.com\/?p=227","title":{"rendered":"Zach Lahn projected to win Iowa GOP governor primary, upsetting Trump’s pick in a state Democrats hope to flip"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Zach Lahn will win the Republican primary for Iowa governor, CBS News projects, overcoming a Trump-backed congressman and setting up a November contest against Democrat Rob Sand that could be one of this year’s most competitive gubernatorial races.<\/p>\n

Read more Iowa Senate race set between Democrat Josh Turek, Republican Ashley Hinson after projected primary wins<\/a><\/p>\n

Lahn \u2014 a farmer and businessman who has touted his ties to the “Make America Healthy Again” movement \u2014 prevailed over a crowded GOP field on Tuesday. Sand, who serves as state auditor, ran for the Democratic nomination unopposed.<\/p>\n

His victory bucks the recent winning streak of Trump-backed candidates and marks an upset over Rep. Randy Feenstra, who didn’t attend any primary debates and was viewed by many observers as a frontrunner. President Trump endorsed Feenstra last week, calling him “MAGA all the way,” and several top Iowa GOP figures backed him.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Feenstra conceded late Tuesday night, saying in a speech surrounded by his family that the outcome “wasn’t what I wanted.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

Describing himself as a sixth-generation Iowan, Lahn owns a family farm and runs the agriculture, technology and real estate investment firm Homeplace Ventures. He’s running for governor on a populist-inflected platform that he branded “Iowa First,” and has vowed to encourage more local ownership of farmland and address Iowa’s high cancer rate.<\/p>\n

Lahn was endorsed last year by MAHA Action, a group founded by allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and he picked up support from the late Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point Action last week. He was also endorsed by former Rep. Steve King, who was known for incendiary comments<\/span> about race<\/span> before Feenstra ousted him in a 2020 primary.<\/p>\n

Three other candidates also ran: former Iowa Department of Administrative Services Director Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman.<\/p>\n

Lahn will now face Sand, a two-term state auditor who defeated a GOP incumbent in 2018 after working in the state attorney general’s office. Sand has focused his campaign on government accountability and has faulted Republicans for the state’s economic issues, while seeking to cultivate a moderate image. Republicans have tried to cast him as a liberal in centrist’s clothing.<\/p>\n

Read more Democrat Christina Bohannan to take on Iowa GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for third time in key swing district<\/a><\/p>\n

Once considered a swing state, Iowa has trended sharply red in recent years as Democrats increasingly struggle on rural Midwestern terrain. Mr. Trump won the state three times in a row, including by a 13-point margin in 2024, and GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds won reelection by 18 points four years ago. Iowa hasn’t elected a Democratic governor in two decades, and Sand is the only statewide elected Democrat, after he won reelection by in 2022.<\/p>\n

But Democrats are hopeful that a challenging political environment for Republicans, both nationally and in Iowa, could make them more competitive in the midwestern state. The Cook Political Report has rated the Iowa gubernatorial race a tossup, one of five states with that distinction this year, and the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics says the race leans red.<\/p>\n

Reynolds \u2014 who has led the state since 2017 \u2014 has one of the lowest approval ratings of any governor nationwide. Iowa farmers also struggled<\/span> last year after the trade war with China caused Beijing to cut American soybean imports, pushing down prices of , and the war with Iran in fuel and fertilizer prices.<\/p>\n

Reynolds declined to run for reelection this year, setting up Iowa’s first gubernatorial election without an incumbent in the race since 2006.<\/p>\n

Lahn $2 million last year, but is heading into the general election at a fundraising disadvantage. His campaign had on hand as of mid-May, compared to for the Sand campaign. Sand’s wife runs a sizable food and health products company founded by her family called the Lauridsen Group, and the Democrat’s campaign coffers have been bolstered by millions in contributions from his in-laws.<\/p>\n

Sand raised about $9.7 million between the start of the year and mid-May, just over $3 million of which came from members of his wife’s family. Lahn raised just under $1 million.<\/p>\n

Beyond the governor’s race, Iowa also has an open Senate contest after Ernst declined to seek reelection<\/span>, drawing interest from Democrats, though Republicans likely have a sizable edge. Democrats are also heavily targeting two of Iowa’s four House seats, including the 1st District, where incumbent GOP Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks won by fewer than 1,000 votes in 2024.<\/p>\n

Read more Iowa GOP Senate candidate Ashley Hinson says prolonged Iran war could become a \u201cpolitical liability\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n


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MAHA-aligned Republican Zach Lahn will face Democrat Rob Sand in this year’s race for Iowa governor, setting up what could be an unusually competitive contest in a red-leaning state.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":226,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nZach Lahn projected to win Iowa GOP governor primary, upsetting Trump's pick in a state Democrats hope to flip - Professional Movers USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/professionalmoversusa.com\/?p=227\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Zach Lahn projected to win Iowa GOP governor primary, upsetting Trump's pick in a state Democrats hope to flip - 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