Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand described himself as “extremely liberal” during his time at Brown University over twenty years ago. He has defended the Green New Deal amid criticism from Republican congressional candidate Randy Feenstra, and he has opposed an Iowa bill that seeks to define sex strictly as “either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth.” Sand also believes that Iowa could benefit from an increase in immigration.
The Brown Daily Herald highlighted in April 2003 that as a student, Sand referred to himself as “extremely liberal” and portrayed Brown as “obviously a liberal school” in an article discussing the lack of conservative voices on campus.
Fast forward more than fifteen years, Sand came to the defense of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed Green New Deal. This was after Feenstra shared claims that the deal would “ban cows,” “ban air travel,” and “pay those who are ‘unwilling to work.’” In February 2019, Sand responded with, “Fact Check: None of this is in there.”
He further clarified, stating that while “a few bad ideas were in a FAQ written by one guy. But they are not in the bill. And the GND bill is what is important.” This was in light of a July 2019 analysis by the Heritage Foundation that criticized the Green New Deal’s “government-managed energy plan,” suggesting it could lead to significant damage to the economy, particularly affecting working Americans. The analysis estimated a potential cost of $165,000 per average family and a loss of about 5.2 million jobs.
Additionally, in February 2025, Sand opposed Iowa House Study Bill (HSB) 242, which aimed to define sex strictly as “the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth.” He stated, “My faith drives me to believe that legalizing discrimination is wrong, and HSB 242 is wrong.”
Back in February 2017, Sand shared a Bloomberg News column titled “The Myth of the U.S. Immigration Crisis,” which argued that there was no current wave of undocumented workers and that illegal immigration had virtually ceased a decade earlier. His reaction was simply, “Wow.”
In September 2023, Sand advocated for drawing more people to Iowa, expressing that “We are one of the slowest-growing states in the entire country and getting more people here would help.”
Sand’s previous statements become relevant as he competes against Republican Zach Lahn in the upcoming gubernatorial election, aiming to replace outgoing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. Sand has been serving as Iowa state auditor since 2019 and is currently the only Democrat in statewide office in Iowa.
Throughout his campaign, Sand has criticized the two-party system and reflected on his earlier registration as an independent. In an interview with Fox News in August, he remarked, “I think the two-choice system… is actually more about controlling us than it is about hearing us or solving our problems.” Although he initially registered as an independent, he has identified as a Democrat and co-chaired Joe Biden’s Iowa campaign in 2020.
He has gained endorsements from notable Democrats, including California Governor Gavin Newsom and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who travelled to Iowa to support him.
However, Sand’s campaign has also faced scrutiny over a $250,000 contribution from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, whose connections to Jeffrey Epstein have been controversial. Hoffman stated his associations were related to MIT fundraising efforts and expressed regret for any inadvertent impact on Epstein’s reputation. The Iowa GOP has pressed Sand to clarify his stance on this funding, with spokeswoman Jade Cichy stating, “Will he return the money, or is this who he really answers to? Iowans deserve to know.” Sand has also previously accepted a $50,000 contribution from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.
Lahn has criticized Sand’s tax positions, accusing him in an August campaign ad of wanting to raise taxes on the average Iowan by $7,500 a year. Lahn claims, “But Rob Sand wants to raise your taxes by $7,500 a year. You can look it up. He is a billionaire. He doesn’t get what regular folks go through. He’s opposed tax cuts his whole career.” Sand’s documented tax positions include proposals for a higher tax on out-of-state landowners, eliminating state tax breaks for data centers, and a potential increase in Iowa’s cigarette tax.
