Rob Sand Meets With Iowans Across the State on “Iowa for All” Tour

DES MOINES, IA – Nominee for governor Rob Sand continued his “Iowa for All” tour across the state the past several days, crisscrossing eastern and central Iowa to meet voters where they are and make the case for a new direction for Iowa.

On Friday, Rob started in Marshalltown with a tour of the JBS Plant, then met with small business owners and local government leaders for a roundtable discussion. He then stopped by the Iowa Veterans Home to meet with residents and answer their questions, and ended the day in Waukee for a rally with supporters. Rob spent Saturday meeting with voters in Newton and St. Ansgar to hear firsthand about the issues that matter most to their communities before joining Iowans at Mason City’s Oktoberfest.

On Sunday, he spent time with festivalgoers and walked in the Madison County Covered Bridges Festival in Winterset. Rob kept his foot on the gas Monday, starting with a roundtable with small business owners and community leaders in Dubuque before visiting local businesses in Waterloo, and sitting down with college students at the University of Northern Iowa and Coe College to hear about their hopes for Iowa’s future. He closed out the day with a rally in Cedar Rapids, continuing to make the case for bringing people together, putting Iowans ahead of politics, and making our state not redder or bluer, but better and truer.

See more about Rob’s “Iowa for All” tour below:

On Friday, October 9, Rob toured the JBS Plant in Marshalltown to learn more about the jobs they provide and share how his “Opportunities for All” plan will help rebuild Iowa’s struggling economy and bring down costs.

Rob stopped at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown to host a town hall for residents. During the town hall, Rob discussed his “Accountability for All” plan, which will restore the power of the State Auditor’s office and bring accountability back to state government.

On Saturday, October 10, Rob hosted a meet-and-greet with voters in St. Angsar to share his plans to end the two-choice political system and get back to public service, not politics.

Later on Saturday, Rob walked around Mason City’s annual Oktoberfest and spoke with voters.

On Sunday, October 11th, Rob walked in the Madison County Covered Bridges Parade, handing out candy alongside Pow.

On Monday, October 12, Rob toured small businesses in Waterloo, including Spellers True Value Hardware. During the tour, Rob shared how his “Opportunities for All” will support small businesses, cut red tape, and ensure they have the tools they need to thrive.

Later on Monday, October 12, Rob spoke with students at the University of Northern Iowa and Coe College about the importance of voting in this year’s election and his plan to end the two-choice political system that pits friends and neighbors against each other.

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KGAN: Rob Sand makes campaign stops in Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids

Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand made stops in Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids on Monday as Iowa’s open gubernatorial race enters its final weeks.
Sand met with people at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls before holding an evening rally in Cedar Rapids.

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The Gazette: Rob Sand: We must convince Iowans political balance is good

Rob Sand, the Democratic candidate for Iowa governor, told a campaign rally crowd Friday that he is aware of the hurdles the party’s statewide candidates have faced in the state for better than a decade.
“We know that the state still hasn’t elected anyone but a Republican being governor in 20 years, so we’re going to have to do some work to make sure that people feel comfortable and know that we can have balance in the state of Iowa again,” Sand said. “That we remind them of our history as a state that hasn’t been about being focused on being Democrats or Republicans, but one that’s focused on the Iowans.”
That message has resonated with many disaffected Republicans across the state. Among them: Doug Mindrup, of Waukee, who attended Friday’s campaign event.
“I believe in the ideals of the Republican Party (like) less government. I’ve always been supportive of that,” Doug Mindrup said after Friday’s event. “But my choice has to be based upon character, and it has to believe in the man or woman doing the job, and I just can’t do that right now with the Republican Party that I’m supporting.
“So my choice is to find somebody with integrity, somebody I can trust, and Rob seems to be that person.”
“The Republicans in Iowa have abandoned their constituents,” Mindrup said. “Rob feels like he’s not there to back a party or an agenda, but to take care of Iowans, which I believe is a good thing.”

Dubuque Telegraph-Herald: Sand talks economic policy with Dubuque small-business owners

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand on Monday morning made an appearance in Dubuque, speaking with about 15 small-business owners and other community leaders on economic policy and downtown revitalization.
“From my first year to my second, we had about a 170% growth in sales,” said Noah Riley, owner of the live music venue The Goose, which is located on upper Main Street. “But even through that, I’m seeing my property tax go up 38%. My insurance is up. I’m up all this money, but I’m still eating every dollar.”
Sand said that what Main Street businesses are seeing mimics a similar theme to what’s going on throughout the state of Iowa: a decreasing population resulting in decreasing investment in small businesses.
“What I see in Rob is somebody who is there to begin to heal the divisions that we have,” [Mayor] Cavanagh said. “This partisanship that we have at the state level and the federal level, we have got to draw that back … (to) where the pendulum doesn’t just keep swinging like a wrecking ball over and over again, every political cycle.”

Times-Republican: Gather ‘round the table

Slightly more than 10 small business owners and Marshalltown city officials met with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand on Friday to talk about what was on their minds, and wages and healthcare were big topics.
“We haven’t had a minimum wage increase in 20 years,” he said. “You don’t just flip the switch and say now it’s $12. You have to take a few years to put it in there, because it takes time for people to adapt to that.”
“Mental health practitioners around the state are closing their shops, because they can’t make money … because of privatized for-profit companies for Medicaid,” he said. “They just want to keep all the money and find reasons, excuses to deny claims… . They’re literally looking for reasons to say ‘no’ to paying so they can keep more money and keep it for longer. It’s scandalous.”

Mason City Globe Gazette: Sand upbeat about his gubernatorial campaign during Mason City stop

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand brought his campaign to the Cerro Gordo County Democratic headquarters in Mason City on Saturday, urging supporters to recognize the importance of the upcoming election and arguing that political conditions have created an opportunity for Democrats to reclaim the governor’s office.
“We’ve got a lot of things that are lining up here,” Sand said, speaking to local Democrats at the event. “We have an unpopular Republican president, we have an unpopular Republican governor who is retiring, we have a guy who is running on the Republican side who is only a part-time Iowa resident, and we have someone running as the Democratic nominee who has already been elected statewide twice and has the best job approval numbers in the state by 30 points.”
“This election, this is the one we are here for right now. We have three weeks to make sure we can win this thing. I will say, if Tom Vilsack was here, he would tell you what he’s been saying across the entire state for the last year, which is this is the most important governor’s race in 70 years in Iowa.”
“I think it was great to have Rob Sand in Mason City,” Ragan said. “I see the excitement building for his campaign across both sides of the aisle. He’s really getting people interested in his message of turning Iowa around.”
“I see it when I’m out knocking doors and in his rallies,” Ragan said. “He’s bringing an approach that speaks to people who want to see Iowa change direction.”