Four of the five Republicans running for governor participated in the final TV debate before the June 2 Primary and offered ideas for balancing the state budget rather than depend on reserve funds to cover big revenue dips due to income tax cuts.
Businessman Zach Lahn said he’d cut wasteful state spending and end tax breaks for businesses that are laying off workers. “Before we cut services of Iowans, the thing that we need to make sure we’re doing is spending money responsibly,” Lahn said.
State Representative Eddie Andrews said he’d increase support of Iowa entrepreneurs. “The fifth word of the Bible is create — ‘in the beginning God created,'” Andrews said. “We have that creative ability here in Iowa and I want to unleash that on day one.”
Pastor Brad Sherman said if Iowans are given more access to information about state spending, they’ll press for action. “Then we can push all these changes to the local level,” Sherman said, “because one size from Des Moines doesn’t fit all.”
Former state agency director Adam Steen said he’d cut business regulations to spur economic growth and cut the number of managers on the state payroll. “The key is we make sure Rob Sand doesn’t come back into office so we don’t end up with a Chet Culver era of literal deficits,” Steen said. Sand’s the only Democrat running for governor. In 2009, Culver ordered a 10 percent cut in the state budget after a big drop in state tax revenue.
Congressman Randy Feenstra, the other Republican running for governor this year, declined the invitation to participate in the debate, which was broadcast tonight by KCCI in Des Moines and Gray TV stations in Sioux City, Cedar Rapids and the Quad Cities.
Moderators asked the candidates about Iowa’s water quality and whether Iowa should have more regulations or stick with voluntary approaches to cleaning up lakes and waterways. Sherman said there’s a place for government to step in and put the focus on soil health. “The structure of healthy soil holds water, it doesn’t let it run off, it prevents flooding, prevents erosion, it takes care of nitrates because it sits there and it gets absorbed naturally,” Sherman said. “Compare that to the soil that’s scorched by just continual row cropping. That’s a big problem.”
Lahn said the state should provide incentives to farmers who bury fertilizer about six inches below the surface of a field, to prevent run off. “Farmers do not want to lose their inputs and right now, we’re losing 30-50%,” Lahn said, “so by providing refundable tax credits, we’ll put it on cost parity. We’re actually able to save them money.”
Steen said farmers are already doing what they can by planting buffer strips, cover crops and changing the timing of phosphate applications. “There are innovators right now that have different products, different services that they can use that’s going to bolster the ability to keep nitrates out of our water,” Steen said, “and when you combine that with what’s already working, we’re going to solve the issue and can move on to bigger and better things.”
Andrews says “some amount” of regulation and direction from the state is required and that includes state funding of water quality projects. He noted the 2026 Iowa legislature directed more money to water projects, including $25 million to expand the Des Moines Water Works nitrate removal facility.
The candidates also expressed support for President Trump’s order to limit the number of immigrants granted H-1B visas so they can legally work in the United States. “We need to be America First. We need to be Iowa First,” Steen said, “and I appreciate what President Trump is doing here all across the country.”
Lahn would prohibit H-1B visa holders from working in state government or at the three state universities and he’d make it harder for companies that hire foreigners with H-1B visas to secure state grants or other incentives. “Iowa people will do these jobs. I reject the idea that our people won’t do these jobs,” Lahn said. “We have some of the most hardworking kids in the country.”
Sherman says Trump is right “to address corruption” in the H-1B visa program, but Sherman said migrant workers are important to some Iowa farming operations. “As long as it’s legal and they’re tracked, there’s a place for it,” Sherman said.
Andrews said as a pastor he has helped immigrants obtain legal status, but he said the priority should be to fill Iowa jobs with Iowans and Americans.
Early voting for this year’s primary elections began last Wednesday.