State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat who’s running for governor, held a town hall meeting in his hometown of Decorah last night. It was the 100th and final stop on a tour of the state he launched at the end of June.
During a recent Radio Iowa interview, Sand said many of the Iowans he’s met during the tour are fed up with politics. “The primary problem that we have right now is partisanship by which I mean the idea that we would judge an idea based on who said it’s good or who said it’s bad. ‘Oh, they like that idea? Then it must be terrible,'” Sand said. “This is the kind of nonsense that I think is destroying our state. It’s destroying our country.”
Sand describes the tour as invigorating. “When you feel like things aren’t going well, you roll up your sleeves and you get to work,” Sand said, “and that feels better.”
Sand was first elected State Auditor in 2018 and reelected in 2022. He is the only Democrat currently serving in statewide elected office. Sand began this year with over $8 million in his campaign account. Republicans have criticized Sand for accepting $4 million in contributions from his in-laws, who own a major agribusiness and have previously donated to Republican Governors Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection in 2026.