DGA - Democratic Governors Association

06/03/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/03/2026 12:23

What You Need to Know about Iowa Republican Nominee and Kansas Carpetbagger Zach Lahn

What You Need to Know about Iowa Republican Nominee and Kansas Carpetbagger Zach Lahn

While Rob Sand is entering the general election with momentum - including Sabato's Crystal Ball shifting the Iowa gubernatorial race to a toss-up and announcing another 100-town hall hour - career political operative and Kansas carpetbagger Republican Zach Lahn just barely survived a bruising GOP primary.

Here are 3 key things you need to know about Zach Lahn as he faces Rob Sand in one of the biggest flip opportunities of the cycle.

  • Lahn has been lying to Iowans about where he lives. He voted in Kansas in 2018, 2020, and 2022, and only registered to vote in Iowa in 2024 to meet the residency deadline to run for governor.
  • Lahn frequently flies to his home in Kansas. A recent report from the Des Moines Register revealed that he "maintains a home in Kansas and flies to the state frequently in a plane he owns as part of an LLC." In fact, in the past 7 months, Lahn's personal plane has spent 75 nights in Kansas - compared to only 51 in Iowa. When asked about his frequent flights to Kansas, Lahn couldn't even commit to living in Iowa full-time, saying he would try to be in Iowa "as much as humanly possible."
  • Lahn would continue Gov. Kim Reynolds' failed status quo and stake out even more extreme positions that would make life even worse for Iowans. He opposes Medicaid expansion entirely, supports ripping tax dollars away from public schools, downplays how tariffs are harming farmers, and supports an extreme abortion ban with no exceptions.

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