Rob Sand

Democratic Party (D)
Governor · Iowa, United States of America · 2026
PurposeRob Sand, Iowa's state auditor, is running as the Democratic candidate to succeed retiring Gov. Kim Reynolds in Iowa's open governor's race.

Economy
On the economy, the campaign — citing Iowa's ranking of 49th nationally for economic performance and 48th for personal-income growth — proposes a "Statewide Work, Statewide Jobs" program letting state employees work from anywhere in Iowa rather than requiring relocation to urban centers, aimed at reviving small towns, and would drop the four-year-degree requirement for state jobs.

Health
On health care, the campaign would reverse the privatization of Iowa's Medicaid program by executive order, citing what it calls a "shockingly high" rate of illegal care denials, and points to Iowa's cancer rate — the highest in the nation — as a problem needing state attention.

Education
On education — noting Iowa has slipped from a top-five state to the middle of the pack — the campaign proposes universal all-day pre-K, funded in part by eliminating the state's private-school voucher program, which it argues diverts public money without accountability.

Governance
On government reform, the campaign backs a public primary system open to all eligible voters, adopting approval voting (letting voters select multiple candidates) in general elections, restoring investigative powers to the State Auditor's office, and breaking what it calls the two-party monopoly by making it easier for independent and third-party candidates to compete. It also proposes legalizing and taxing adult-use cannabis and stronger corporate accountability for data centers.

Compiled from public sources. This entry was not submitted by the candidate or their team. It was researched and summarized by ElectionManifestos.org from public campaign statements and news coverage, because the candidate is standing in an upcoming election and no self-submission had been received yet.

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