Rob Sand, the Democrat who’s running for governor, is touting endorsements from five dozen current and former public safety officials, including seven county attorneys.
Fremont County Peter Johnson, a Democrat who previously served as mayor of Sidney, spoke at a news conference early this morning. “When I had some questions about public finance, I reached out to the auditor’s office and I thought that I would get somebody on the staff, but I got a call from Rob,” Johnson said. “Though he was the name at the top of the office, he wasn’t too good to help the major of a town of 1000 people in the southwest corner of Iowa.”
In a written statement, Sac County Attorney Ben Smith said “as a conservative Republican, I won’t agree with Sand on every issue,” but Smith said Sand has “the experience and judgment” as a former a prosecutor “to keep Iowans safe.” Democrats who are county attorneys in Clay, Floyd, Ida, Jefferson, Johnson, and Shelby Counties have publicly endorsed Sand, along with five Democrats who serve as county sheriffs.
“The reason I’m supporting Rob Sand is his bipartisan approach to politics and willingness to work across the aisle and keep everybody safe,” Wapello County Sheriff Donald Phillips said at the news conference. Phillips has worked in the Wapello County Sheriff’s office since 1990 and has been the county’s sheriff since March of 2019. The Iowa Professional Firefighters Association president is among the others on the list of public safety officials who’ve endorsed Sand.
Zach Lahn, the Republican running for governor, announced late this morning he’s been endorsed by the National Rifle Association’s Political Action Committee. Lahn’s campaign spokesman said Lahn “is a rock solid Second Amendment defender” and he accused Sand of being “a liberal” who “likes gun control” and is a “gun grabber.” A spokesperson for Sand’s campaign said Sand “is a proud gun owner and Second Amendment supporter.” Sand’s deputy campaign manager said if Lahn wants to talk about guns, he should start by explaining why in 2023 Wichita Police reported Lahn’s own handgun, ammunition and a vehicle were stolen from the private school he founded in Kansas.
The Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Association of Business and Industry have recently made endorsements in high profile Iowa races, but did not announce a preference in the governor’s race.