Republican Zach Lane and Democrat Rob Sund returned to a topic repeatedly during Tuesday night’s first debate in the race to be Iowa’s next governor: questions about Lane’s history of living in the state.
Sund, the state comptroller, and Rahn, a businessman, met in Davenport as they campaigned to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, an extremely competitive race as the state has shifted to the right in recent years.
There hasn’t been a Democrat in the Iowa governor’s mansion since Chet Culver was defeated in 2010, and Sund is currently the only elected Democrat statewide. While Sund has framed himself as an independent-minded candidate, Rahn called him a “radical liberal” and a “career politician” who supports liberal positions on taxes and immigration.
As the two sparred on NBC affiliate station KWQC over tax rates, economic growth, addressing the state’s cancer crisis and other issues, both men repeatedly brought up the controversy over Lang’s ties to Kansas, including public records showing he voted there in 2018, 2020 and 2022 before registering in Iowa in 2024.
Rahn responded Tuesday to reports that he still flies frequently to his adopted home in Kansas.
“I’m a sixth generation Iowan. I live in Iowa today. I used to live in Iowa. Rob has been lying about this and the problem is I have a blended family and my kids split time,” he said.
The topic first came up in a conversation about education. Sund has advocated for increased teacher pay and better oversight of the use of public funds, while Rahn has called for tighter audits of the voucher system and limiting the program to low-income families.
“I want to be the biggest advocate for public school kids in the state,” Rahn said.
Sander responded: “I don’t think you’re going to be the biggest advocate for public school students as opposed to someone who sends their kids there. Zach, when you run ads saying Marxists have hijacked Iowa’s curriculum, I’m pretty sure that’s just more evidence that you’re not spending enough time in Iowa.”
Rahn called the attacks “the lie at the heart of Rob Sander’s campaign.”
The controversy has been a drag on Lane’s campaign, while Sander holds an advantage in polls ahead of the November election.
Throughout the debate, Rahn lambasted Sander as a “liberal billionaire” who is financially supported by his wife’s family.
Sander’s wife, Christine, is the CEO of her family’s company, the Lauridsen Group, which owns several food and health products companies. Her family has donated more than $12 million to Sander’s campaigns over the years and has supported him since he first ran for state auditor.
Earlier in the night, the candidates were asked how they would address Iowa’s low economic growth and affordability issues on their first days in office.
Rahn said he would prioritize local businesses and ensure the state “does not prioritize large out-of-state projects that don’t employ people, such as data centers.”
He did say he would support tax incentives announced last week for a $15 billion White House-backed steel plant project. He also praised President Donald Trump’s executive action to loosen restrictions on tax-free “red dye diesel” fuel used in farm vehicles, a recommendation he said he made to Vice President J.D. Vance during a visit to Iowa last month.
The rising cost of diesel in Iowa, currently $6.05 a gallon, has been a major concern for the state’s farmers, who are also feeling the pinch from rising fertilizer prices and tariffs, threatening the campaigns of heartland Republican candidates.
Sund has called for a cap on utility bills, an end to the privatization of Iowa’s Medicaid, a higher minimum wage (which he said should be set at $12 an hour) and the importation of prescription drugs from Canada.
Rahn would not commit to raising the minimum wage, which was last raised in Iowa in 2009 when it was $7.25 an hour. He said he would focus on industry consolidation and lowering taxes.
“We’ve made some tremendous efforts to lower taxes for the people of Iowa, and Rob, you’ve opposed those efforts every step of the way,” Lang shot at his opponent. “So I think we have to be very honest about where we stand. Rob supports raising taxes because that’s what liberals do: they want to raise taxes. I’m here to lower taxes.”
When asked to respond, Sund denied he wanted to raise taxes.
Both candidates highlighted the issue of cancer rates in their opening statements. Iowa is one of three states with rising cancer rates due to environmental risks posed by chemicals used in agriculture such as glyphosate, PFAS and nitrates.
“Iowa is at the bottom of economic growth; we are at the top of cancer growth,” Sander said.
Rahn cited “the nation’s fastest rate of new cancers” as one of the three issues motivating him to run for office.
Rahn, who has received support from prominent figures in the Make America Healthy Again movement, has made cancer rates a centerpiece of his campaign, often targeting the powerful agricultural industry. He called solving cancer a “fundamental problem” and “the crisis of our generation.”
“For a long time, we’ve seen nitrate levels in the water increasing year by year,” he said. “We have to start developing real solutions.”
He expressed support for the state’s IWiLL program (Iowa Water and Land Legacy) to address water quality issues and high nitrate levels.
“I’m glad Mr. Lang brought up IWiLL and mentioned that he’s been supporting and talking about it since he started his campaign. I’m glad he’s been doing that,” Sander said. “I actually voted for it in 2010 because I lived here. But you didn’t.”