Rob Sand Pitches Divided Government on 100 Town Hall Tour Trail

Rob Sand: “Different people who think differently from each other when they work together tend to get to better outcomes.”

DES MOINES, IA — Earlier this week, nominee for governor Rob Sand continued his annual 100 Town Hall Tour, making stops across Eastern Iowa and meeting with hundreds of Iowans in their communities. Throughout the tour, Rob has talked to Iowans about the importance of divided government. The last ten years of one-party control have left Iowans behind — our cancer rates are skyrocketing, personal income growth is near the bottom of the country, and an education system that once led the nation is now falling below average.

Advocate News: Hundreds hear from Rob Sand in Muscatine

More than 270 people gathered in the Jefferson Elementary auditorium in Muscatine for Rob Sand’s townhall event, giving the candidate in the state gubernatorial race an opportunity to speak about the issues that mean the most to Muscatine County residents.
To work towards solving the state’s problems, Sand advocated for collaboration between all government officials, regardless of what party they are from and even if they still disagree on some issues. He shared his belief that progress can still come from disagreement and that checks and balances within government are still important.
“Left wing? Right wing? Same bird, and it flies a lot better when its wings are working together,” Sand said.
He later added that he wants to put the focus back on providing public service instead of only focusing on the campaigning and party politics.

Fort Madison Daily Democrat: Sand makes case to be Iowa’s next governor for both parties at townhall

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand could be the state’s next governor, and he took the time to remind some Southeast Iowans about his background and make a case for this leadership and ideas on Tuesday.
Throughout the townhall, Sand stressed his critiques of today’s political climate and argued that his independent-minded, bipartisan views and philosophy will put the state on a better path forward if he is elected as Iowa’s next governor.
“People who think differently from each other, when they work together, typically get to a better answer than when all of the people making the decisions think the same way as each other,” Sand said.
“I’m happy to piss off powerful people in either political party, (and) I’d love to continue to piss them off as your governor.”

NE Iowa News: Rob Sand holds Albia town hall

“Different people who think differently from each other when they work together tend to get to better outcomes,” said Sand. “You’ll hear me say that a few times today. I think it’s a fair description of how we got where we are as a state right now, because we’ve had 10 years of one-party control, which is uncharacteristic of our state.”
You can’t learn much from people just saying ‘yup’ and ‘uh-huh’ and ‘that’s right.’ You don’t get anywhere. But when you’re willing to point out that you disagree and you can do it in the way that’s civil, you tend to have the capacity to learn from each other, and I think that’s one of the best things we can do, because usually, even if we don’t end up agreeing, we can each at least understand each other a little bit better, right?”
“I think that’s what politics should be like all the time,” said Sand. “You get a bunch of people into a room. You don’t check party ID on the way in the door. You say, okay, there’s going to be stuff we disagree on, but let’s work together. Find the places where we agree and do something.”
“I’ve always thought that it doesn’t make sense to believe something just because it’s the first idea that you encounter…” said Sand. “It ought to be because you know in your heart and your mind and in your own experience in life that it makes the sense and it’s the closest thing to truth that you’ve found. And so I’ve always been independent-minded in that regard.”

The Hawk Eye: Sand: Two party system in Iowa is broken

Democratic candidate for governor, State of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand, brought his campaign to Burlington Tuesday evening. A capacity crowd at the Capitol Theater listened as Sand laid out his plan to move away from two-party partisan politics in Iowa if elected governor in November.
Sand told attendees that the state’s biggest problem is not a single policy issue, but a political system which he believes has become increasingly dysfunctional. He argued that Iowa’s government has become too focused on partisan conflict, and not focused enough on solving real-world problems.
Throughout the event, Sand repeatedly emphasized the need for bipartisan cooperation, noting that Iowa has a long tradition of divided government and independent-minded voters. He proposed changes to the state’s election system, including open primaries and approval voting, which he argued would encourage candidates to appeal to a broader range of voters rather than relying on partisan divisions.
The town hall concluded with Sand urging supporters to back a message of bipartisan problem-solving and government reform.

Quad City Times: Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand stumps in Muscatine

Speaking to 275 people in the auditorium at Jefferson Elementary School in Muscatine on Thursday, Sand spoke candidly about the current political system and how it keeps today’s politicians from truly working in a bipartisan manner for the people.
Sand asked how many Republicans were in the crowd, how many were independents, and how many were Democrats. While there were more Democrats in the crowd, there was also a good smattering of Republicans and independents.
“You have to read things and learn stuff,” he said. “You’ve got to talk to people that you don’t like, and you’ve got to pay attention when people are talking to you.”
“When the campaigns are over, public service must begin,” Sand said.

Waukon Standard: Rob Sand holds Town Hall meeting in Waukon

Approximately 70 individuals were present for the Allamakee County Town Hall included in Sand’s 100 Town Hall Tour taking place in each of Iowa’s 99 counties with two Town Hall meetings taking place in Lee County in the southeast corner of the state which has two county seats, Fort Madison and Keokuk, something that is unique to that county in comparison to the rest of the state.