Rob Sand Announces Dave Muhlbauer as Running Mate, Strengthening Statewide Ticket

Rob Sand: “…Dave Muhlbauer represents the best of our state: hard-working, honest, and always willing to help out. I’m proud to have him on Team Sand.”

DES MOINES, IA – Yesterday, nominee for governor Rob Sand announced his running mate: fifth-generation family farmer, cattleman, and Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer. A lifelong western Iowan, Dave has a track record of working with everyone to deliver for his community and knows it’s time to rotate the crops in state government. Together, Rob and Dave offer Iowans a ticket rooted in integrity, accountability, and a shared commitment to putting public service ahead of politics and delivering results for Iowa.

Learn more about candidate for Lieutenant Governor Dave Muhlbauer HERE or below:

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KETV: Democrat Rob Sand announces running mate Dave Muhlbauer in Iowa governor race

KCCI: Rob Sand picks western Iowa county supervisor as running mate

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Des Moines Register: Meet Dave Muhlbauer, Rob Sand’s running mate in Iowa governor race

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand named Crawford County Supervisor and rural farmer Dave Muhlbauer as his running mate as the pair move into a competitive general election.
“I do think local government is closest to the people, boots on the ground. So we hear things firsthand,” he said. “And I just feel like people are upset with the direction of the state. They’re upset that their voices aren’t being heard. They feel like instead of representing the people — special interests and powerful insiders, they’re the ones being represented. And we’re here to change that.”
“Dave has a track record of working with everyone to deliver for western Iowa and knows it’s time to rotate the crops in state government,” Sand said. “He’ll be a great partner on the trail and an even better lieutenant governor for the people of Iowa.”
Muhlbauer’s addition gives the campaign a foothold in western Iowa and within the farming community, helping to expand Sand’s reach to groups he’ll need to attract to overcome a steep voter registration disadvantage in the state.
[Muhlbauer] said that on the campaign trail, he hopes to be a voice for both farmers and the power of local government, arguing that the state has taken too much authority away from local leaders.

The Iowa Mercury: Sand chooses western Iowa cattleman as lieutenant governor running mate

Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand has selected Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer, a cattleman-farmer and deeply rooted rural Iowan from Manilla in western Iowa who ran for the U.S. Senate five years ago, as his lieutenant governor running mate.
“It’s not about one side or the other,” Muhlbauer said. “It’s about doing what’s right versus wrong. I know he says it a lot, ‘not redder or bluer, but better or truer.’ That is so true.”
Muhlbauer said at the core he and Sand have the same goals for the state and are equipped with the electoral track records to end a decade of one-party control in Iowa by Republicans.

Daily Nonpareil: Western Iowa farmer picked as Democrat Rob Sand’s running mate for Iowa governor

Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer and county official, is Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand’s running mate and lieutenant governor nominee, Sand’s campaign announced Monday.
Sand’s selection of Muhlbauer gives the statewide Democratic ticket a western Iowa voice and adds a candidate with deep roots in agriculture and local government as the party prepares for the 2026 general election campaign.
The choice also gives Democrats a nominee from one of Iowa’s most Republican-leaning counties. Crawford County backed Republican President Donald Trump over Democratic former vice president Kamala Harris by a 71 percent to 28 percent margin in the 2024 presidential election after supporting Trump over Democratic former president Joe Biden 68 percent to 31 percent in 2020.

Iowa Starting Line: Rob Sand picks western Iowa farmer as his lieutenant governor running mate

Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer is jumping into the race for 2026. Democratic governor nominee Rob Sand has selected Muhlbauer as his lieutenant governor, adding a fifth-generation western Iowa farmer and cattleman to the ticket ahead of what is expected to be one of the most competitive Iowa governor’s races in years.
“We’ve been generations of rural Democrats, and we’ve had to win in rural areas that typically are red,” Muhlbauer said in the announcement. “But to us, and Rob too, it’s not about one side versus the other. It’s like he says, you’re not redder or bluer, but better and truer.”
The pick gives Sand’s ticket a geographic anchor in western Iowa—territory that has trended sharply Republican in recent cycles—and agricultural credibility that Sand, the state auditor and a Decorah native, does not carry on his own.
On what’s driving voters, Muhlbauer didn’t mince words. “People are upset with the direction of the state,” he said. “They’re upset that their voices aren’t being heard. They feel like instead of representing the people — special interests and powerful insiders, they’re the ones being represented. And we’re here to change that.”