Zach Lahn’s residency history and Rob Sand’s party come under fire in first Iowa governor debate

Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand repeatedly returned to one topic in their first debate Tuesday night in the race to be Iowa’s next governor: questions about Lahn’s residency history in the state.

Sand, the state auditor, and Lahn, a businessman, met in Davenport as they run to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds in an unusually competitive race for a state that has trended to the right in recent years.

Iowa has not had a Democrat in the governor’s mansion since Chet Culver was defeated in 2010, and Sand is the only Democrat currently elected statewide. While Sand has cast himself as an independent-minded candidate, Lahn labeled him a “radical liberal” and a “career politician” who supports liberal positions on taxes and immigration.

As the two men sparred over tax rates, economic growth, addressing the state’s cancer crisis and other issues on NBC affiliate KWQC, both repeatedly referred to the controversy over Lahn’s reported ties to Kansas, which include public records showing he voted there in 2018, 2020 and 2022 before he registered in Iowa in 2024.

Lahn responded Tuesday to reports that he still frequently flies to a second home in Kansas.

“I’m a sixth-generation Iowan. I…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health