The Des Moines Register Joins Rob Sand on the Road for His 100th Town Hall

Town hall attendee: “I find him refreshing, honest and what we need in politics. I do feel that he listens to everybody. And that’s his job, is to listen and not just go by party lines.”

DES MOINES, IA – Earlier this month, Brianne Pfannenstiel from the Des Moines Register joined Rob Sand on the road for the final day of his 100 Town Hall tour, visiting Howard, Chickasaw, Bremer, Allamakee, and Winneshiek counties in Northeastern Iowa.

Rob kicked off his day with a sunrise jog through Cresco and breakfast at Sue-Z-Q’s with his mom, where he saw new and friendly faces before setting out for five town halls and more than 200 miles of conversation. At every stop, he met with Iowans from across the political spectrum — Republicans, independents, and Democrats alike — listening to their concerns and discussing how to make government work better for everyone.

Read more about Rob’s final day on the road for his 100 Town Hall Tour below, or read more here:

[Rob Sand] is putting his faith in the belief that Democrats, independents and Republicans can come together and embrace a politics he describes as “better and truer” rather than “redder and bluer.”
“I find him refreshing, honest and what we need in politics,” said Cheri Nelson, a 73-year-old Democrat and Decorah resident. “I do feel that he listens to everybody. And that’s his job, is to listen and not just go by party lines.”
According to the campaign, Sand met with 10,100 people across all 100 of his town halls, taking roughly 750 questions.
Here, he’s making another leap of faith: Even if Iowans don’t always like his answers, they’ll respect that he stood in front of them and took their questions.
“If I actually see where progress is being made, that’s what I vote on,” Larson said. “I don’t care if you’re a Republican or a Democrat. You stand behind your word. Selfless service is what, in my opinion, is missing in our government.”
“What if I’m not trying to do politics?” he asked. “What if I’m trying to do public service?”
At each stop, Sand tells the story of Jesus seeing the moneychangers in the Temple in Jerusalem who were “abusing their position of trust and power to serve themselves instead of serving ordinary people.” And he describes Jesus’ righteous anger as he flips their tables.
“Who are they serving in Des Moines?” he asks the crowd in Cresco. “Not us. Time to flip some tables.”