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May 14, 2025 |  By: Associated Press

The only Iowa Democrat currently serving in statewide office, announced a bid this week for the open governor’s race

State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Iowa Democrat currently serving in statewide office, announced a bid this week for the open governor’s race in an effort to break up a long streak of Republican leadership in the state.

Republican Governor Kim Reynolds made a surprise announcement last month that she would not seek a third term, leaving a wide open Republican primary and offering Democrats a glimmer of hope that they could make inroads in a midterm year with President Donald Trump in the White House.

“In Iowa, we know it’s not about right versus left, but right versus wrong,” Sand said in his announcement. “As governor, I will always do what’s right for Iowans.”

It’s an uphill battle in a state that Trump won by 13 percentage points in 2024 and Reynolds by 18 percentage points in 2022. The state has shifted dramatically in favor of Republicans since 2006, the last time there was a governor’s race without an incumbent candidate.