The gubernatorial debate in Davenport, Iowa, turned a corner when Republican Zach Lahn unleashed a torrent against State Auditor Rob Sand, his Democratic competitor.
The Republican went on the attack Tuesday night against criticism from Sand about whether Lahn meets the residency requirements to qualify for the race.
‘I will spend whatever effort necessary to defend my children from people who’d like to exploit them like you. And my promise to the voters of Iowa is this: I will also defend your children from people who’d like to exploit them.’
Lahn excoriated Sand for making the residency issue the “central lie” of his gubernatorial campaign.
“He’s been spreading this lie using money that his family has given him to do that all over the airwaves. People see it all the time,” said Lahn.
“But here’s the deal. Rob, you’re now encountering somebody who’s not going to intimidated by how much money your family has. It just won’t happen. I can’t be intimidated like that. The truth is I’m a sixth-generation Iowan. I live in Iowa today. I have lived in Iowa. Rob has been lying about this, and the issue is I have a blended family, and my kids split time. That’s the issue,” he added.
“But Rob has chose to make this issue the primary focus of his campaign,” said Lahn.
“And I’ll tell you, yes, I travel. I travel for business, I travel for family. You know who else travels? Rob. Rob traveled to Aspen, Colorado, to their $77 million mansion there. Rob travels to their multimillion-dollar home in northwest Iowa,” he added.
“Rob travels around the state in a Ford F-150 — when he gets home, he gets in the $200,000 Mercedes G-Wagon. Rob is not telling the truth about who he is,” said Lahn.
“And he’s definitely not telling the truth about who I am. But I’m going to tell you this right now. This issue is about one thing. It’s about my children. That’s it. I have a blended family, and they split time. And I’m going to tell you right now, I am not going to be intimidated on this,” he added.
“I will spend whatever effort necessary to defend my children from people who’d like to exploit them like you,” Lahn concluded. “And my promise to the voters of Iowa is this: I will also defend your children from people who’d like to exploit them, like Rob Sand.”
RELATED: Iowa Democratic Party corrects ‘minor’ mistake on partial vote tally — Bernie Sanders blames racism
Lahn’s campaign posted the video of the beatdown during the debate, and he received great praise online.
“My phone was blowing up with excitement last night from conservatives all over Iowa ecstatic to see [Zach Lahn] humiliate Rob Sand in the Iowa Governor’s debate. This might be the most decisive feedback I’ve ever received in an Iowa debate,” BlazeTV host Steve Deace wrote on Facebook.
“I will run through a wall for @ZachLahn right freaking now,” he added on the X platform.
“A total destruction of the lies coming from leftist Rob Sand. We can not allow Iowa to be turned over to these leftwing frauds!!!” responded Donald Trump Jr. on social media.
Sand also shared clips of the debate online Tuesday night. In one post, he wrote: “This race is between a change candidate, and a change of address candidate. 10 years of one-party control has given us a cancer crisis, a water quality crisis, and has left Iowa families strapped to afford gas & groceries. It’s time to rotate the crops here in Iowa.”
The election will decide whether Democrats can pick up the governor’s office in Iowa after Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds retires.
Iowa Governor polls 2026: Sand vs. Lahn
Iowa Governor polls 2026: Sand vs. Lahn pollwatch.theblaze.com
Every public poll of the 2026 Iowa governor race, Rob Sand (D) vs. Zach Lahn (R), and the Blaze polling average. From Blaze News.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Zach lahn, Iowa, Gubernatorial election, Debate, Politics
