Rob Sand Could End Democrats' 16-Year Iowa Drought as GOP Eyes Veto-Proof Legislature
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 14
Rob Sand Could End Democrats' 16-Year Iowa Drought as GOP Eyes Veto-Proof Legislature
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 14
Summary
Rob Sand, Iowa’s state auditor, is emerging as a plausible Democratic pick-up in November that would make him the state’s first Democratic governor in 16 years.
Trump’s weak approval ratings and stronger Democratic polling are fueling that opening, but a Sand victory alone would not stop Republican priorities if the GOP secures a legislative supermajority.
Republicans with veto-proof numbers could override a Democratic governor, a constraint already faced by Democratic governors Laura Kelly in Kansas and Andy Beshear in Kentucky.
Democrats are therefore targeting a handful of legislative races, backing moderate candidates such as Jill Alesch in suburban Des Moines and Mike Tupper in Marshalltown with outside money.
The fight reflects a broader test in Iowa, which has shifted from battleground to solidly Republican over the past decade, of whether a blue governor can matter without legislative power.