The 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect the governor of Iowa. Republican businessman Zach Lahn and Democratic state auditor Rob Sand are the nominees for their respective parties. Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds is not seeking a third term.
Primary elections were held on June 2, 2026. In the Republican primary, congressman Randy Feenstra emerged as the frontrunner after being endorsed by President Donald Trump, but Lahn won the nomination in an upset with 37.65% of the vote. Sand was the only candidate to qualify for the ballot in the Democratic primary.
This is the first open gubernatorial election in Iowa since 2006 and the first to be held at the same time as the open Senate election since 1968. The 2006 gubernatorial election is the most recent won by Democrats in Iowa.
Contents
Background
Iowa is considered to be a red state, with both chambers of its state legislature controlled by the Republican Party which failed to achieve a supermajority in 2024 by one Iowa Senate seat. The last time the Democratic Party won a gubernatorial election in Iowa was in 2006. All 4 members of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa have been Republicans since 2022 and Republicans have won all U.S. Senate elections in Iowa since 2010, making Iowa's congressional delegation entirely Republican. Iowa has voted for Republican presidents since 2016, trending in favor of the Republican Party increasingly since then.
Republican primary
Candidates
Zach Lahn, businessman
Running mate: Derek Wulf, state representative from the 76th district (2023–present)
Eddie Andrews, state representative from the 43rd district (2021–present)
Randy Feenstra, U.S. representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district (2021–present)
Brad Sherman, former state representative from the 91st district (2023–2025)
Adam Steen, former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services (2021–2025)
Brenna Bird, attorney general of Iowa (2023–present) (running for re-election)
Mike Bousselot, state senator from the 21st district (2023–present) (ran for re-election; later withdrew)
Chris Cournoyer, lieutenant governor of Iowa (2024–present) (running for state auditor; endorsed Feenstra)
Pat Grassley, speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives (2020–present) from the 57th district (2007–present) and grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (running for re-election)
Ashley Hinson, U.S. representative from Iowa's 2nd congressional district (2021–present) (running for U.S. Senate)
Bobby Kaufmann, state representative from the 82nd district (2013–present) (running for re-election)
Kari Lake, senior advisor to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (2025–present) and nominee for governor of Arizona in 2022 and U.S. senator in 2024
Democratic primary
Candidates
Rob Sand, Iowa auditor of state (2019–present)
Running mate: Dave Muhlbauer, Crawford County supervisor (2017–2021, 2023–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
Julie Stauch, business development professional and former Iowa political director for the Pete Buttigieg 2020 presidential campaign
Libertarian primary
Candidates
On June 2, the Gluba campaign submitted over 8,000 signatures to the Iowa Secretary of State, satisfying the 3,500 signature requirement to qualify for the ballot.
Nicholas Gluba, Lone Tree city councilor and nominee for Iowa's 1st congressional district in 2024
General election
Campaign
Though originally from Iowa, Zach Lahn faced scrutiny following reporting by The Des Moines Register that he lived in Kansas until 2023, when he allegedly returned to Iowa. Lahn registered to vote in Iowa on October 17, 2024, ahead of the 2024 election. The newspaper later reported that flight records indicated Lahn spent 75 nights in Wichita, Kansas between October 2025 and spring 2026, frequently traveling there by private plane. Lahn said the trips were related to custody arrangements involving his children, who live in Kansas.
Rob Sand criticized Lahn as a "part-time Iowan" and a carpetbagger, arguing that his frequent travel to Kansas conflicted with his "Iowa First" campaign message. Sand, meanwhile, has faced criticism from Governor Kim Reynolds and other state Republicans, who have accused him of using high-profile audits and allegations of fraud to bolster his political profile.
Candidates
Nicholas Gluba (Libertarian), Lone Tree city councilor and nominee for Iowa's 1st congressional district in 2024
Running mate: Jules Cutler
Zach Lahn (Republican), businessman
Running mate: Derek Wulf, state representative from the 76th district (2023–present) and farmer
Rob Sand (Democratic), Iowa auditor of state (2019–present)
Running mate: Dave Muhlbauer, Crawford County supervisor (2017–2021, 2023–present) and candidate for U.S. Senate in 2022
Sondra Wilson (Independent), pre-law student (previously ran as a Democrat)
Running mate: TBD
Polling
Aggregate polls