NEW POLL: “Rob Sand Has Early Lead in Iowa Governor Race”

DES MOINES, IA – A new poll released by Z to A Research found that Rob Sand has an “early lead” in Iowa’s race for governor, Newsweek reports. The poll also found that Rob is “the most popular” elected official in Iowa tested in this poll behind President Donald Trump.

“After just completing 100 town halls across the state and talking to Iowans from all political stripes, it’s clear Rob Sand’s message is resonating with Iowans who are fed up with the current direction of the state,” said Kyle Buda, Rob Sand for Iowa campaign manager. “While the slate of Republicans running for governor in this race are promising more of the same failed policies that have landed Iowa’s economy in the gutter, with plummeting public schools, and ranked number 1 for cancer growth, after ten years of one-party control, it’s clear Iowans are ready for change.”

As the poll found, Rob is “running well ahead of past Democratic performance,” leading a top Republican opponent by two points. This follows key Democratic overperformances in Iowa over the last year, and Iowa being home to four of the five top overperformances in the country since the 2024 election, including Catelin Drey’s recent special election victory in August, which broke the Iowa state Senate’s supermajority.

Rob’s entrance into Iowa’s race for governor also led key race analyst Cook Political Report to give a rare “double-jump” rating change, from “Likely R” to “Lean R.” Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball issued a similar analysis, moving the race one over from a “Toss Up.”

This poll is released on the heels of Rob Sand completing 100 town halls across the state of Iowa in the off-year and after Randy Feenstra’s official entrance into the race this week. The poll found fractures from within Feenstra’s own party: while it shows Rob has strong support from voters across the political spectrum, including from independents, Feenstra is only gaining the support of 77% of his own party. This is also after Feenstra has already spent nearly half a million dollars on TV ads.

View more findings from the poll here.