Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear rallies with Iowa governor candidate Rob Sand
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Sunday in Des Moines his two gubernatorial victories in a state redder than Iowa shows that Rob Sand, the state’s Democratic candidate for governor, can turn the tide in Iowa in 2026.
Beshear, president of the Democratic Governors’ Association, told a crowd of more than 300 gathered at The River Place about his campaign experience in Kentucky — and why he believed Iowans should be hopeful about Sand and other Iowa Democrats’ chances in the upcoming midterm elections.
“I am living, breathing proof Democrats can win anywhere, and we should be fighting everywhere,” Beshear said. “And I’m here to tell you in Iowa, you’re going to elect a Democratic U.S. senator, you’re going to elect Democratic congressmen and women … and a great man who is going to do a good job in this governor’s seat.”
Sand currently serves as Iowa state auditor and is the only Democrat to hold statewide elected office in the state. He viewed by national political forecasters as having a meaningful chance to flip control of the governor’s seat in the upcoming midterm elections.
The 2026 election will be the first time the seat is open in more than a decade, as Gov. Kim Reynolds is not seeking reelection in 2026. A contentious, five-way primary for the Republican nomination concluded June 2 with businessman and farmer Zach Lahn emerging as the GOP gubernatorial nominee. Lahn upset U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who had support from President Donald Trump as well as top Iowa Republicans like former Gov. Terry Branstad heading into the primary.
Sand, the only Democratic candidate for governor on the primary ballot, has consistently led in campaign fundraising, alongside gathering national attention for his role in the election. But he still faces an uphill battle in the general election, as registered Republicans hold a statewide advantage with 649,349 active voters as of June 1, while Democrats have 500,432 active voters. A total of 588,009 voters are not registered with any political party.
Sand pointed to Beshear as proof that Democrats can still win in states with a track record of supporting Republicans. Beshear won in Kentucky after voters supported President Donald Trump by a margin of 30 percentage points in 2016. Meanwhile, Sand said, the largest margin Trump has won in Iowa elections was 13 percentage points.
“So you might think we got a big hill to climb — I’ve seen bigger. He’s seen bigger, and he did it,” Sand said of Beshear.
Despite his status as the Democratic nominee, Sand has campaigned against the two-party system. He emphasized this perspective at the Sunday event, his first rally during the general election campaign season. The crowd cheered when he highlighted Iowa’s independent redistricting commission, comparing it to the “redistricting wars” happening in other states led by both Democrats and Republicans.
“I see so much news coverage of, ‘who’s going to win, the red team or the blue team?'” Sand said. “I want to see the news coverage of who’s going to lose. The answer is all of us. Somehow — you didn’t think this was possible — but Washington, D.C., is going to get more dysfunctional.”
Though Sand has positioned himself as a candidate outside the typical political party system, Republicans said his appearance with Beshear shows his allegiance to the Democratic Party. Kollin Crompton, communications director for the Republican Governors Association, said in a statement that “national Democrats, from Gavin Newsom to JB Pritzker, are lining up behind Rob Sand because they know Sand will do their bidding.”
“Sand wants to change Iowa’s safe, secure election system into California’s, base the state budget on marijuana, and raise taxes on working families,” Crompton said. “Iowans won’t be fooled. Rob Sand will do and say anything to get elected, but will govern just like the rest of the Democrat Party.”
Sand responded to the criticism saying, “News flash: Democrats support a Democrat,” while highlighting that his campaign has “three times as many Republican donors as Zach Lahn.”
Beshear also said, “I’m not here because I’m a Democrat, I’m here because Rob Sand is going to do a great job.”
“The reason the RGA put out that statement is they’re scared,” he said. “DGA is all in. Rob’s a great candidate. He’s going to win, he’s going to be the next governor.”
Though Beshear did not answer questions or speak about a potential presidential run in 2028 at the event, politicians’ visits to Iowa often spark discussion on future ambitions. Beshear last visited Iowa in 2024, when he spoke at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration fundraiser ahead of the 2024 general election.
At that time, Beshear was one of the names being considered to serve as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate in the presidential election following former President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz became the vice presidential candidate in that election, where he and Harris lost to the President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance ticket.
This story was originally produced by Iowa Capital Dispatch, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Kentucky Lantern, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.