Des Moines area conservatives filled a room in April at the Machine Shed restaurant to hear from U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, who is running for governor. He told the Westside Conservative Club he wants to lower and freeze property taxes, improve education, keep young Iowans from leaving the state and lower health insurance premiums.
"My vision is, number one: we have to become the most business- and ag-friendly state in the country," Feenstra said.
He highlighted his work on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that cuts taxes and cuts spending on public assistance. Feenstra touted his support of President Donald Trump's priorities, though Trump has not endorsed anyone in the primary. And he talked about the stakes of the general election if Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand were to win.
"You look at Minnesota, you look at Illinois, you look at California — we cannot allow Iowa to become one of those states," Feenstra said. "That is on the line."
Feenstra, Zach Lahn, Adam Steen, state Rep. Eddie Andrews and former state Rep. Brad Sherman are all running to be the Republican nominee for governor after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she would not run for a third term. The winner of the June primary will face Sand in what's expected to be a very competitive election in the fall.
While Feenstra has been considered the frontrunner in the primary election, his challengers and GOP voters don't all see it as a done deal.
There has not been independent public polling in the primary race, but Feenstra by far raised the most money among the Republican candidates last year. He was endorsed by former Gov. Terry Branstad and Sen. Joni Ernst. But Feenstra has also faced tough questions and criticism from GOP voters for not attending debates or holding widely publicized campaign events.
Jimmy Centers, a Republican communications consultant at Cornerstone Public Affairs, who previously worked for Branstad, said Feenstra is still the clear frontrunner and will likely win the June 2 primary.
"He has a robust war chest and has been organizing across the state, and has been really the only one up on television for a significant amount of time," he said.
But Centers said some of the other candidates are running "spirited" campaigns, and it's not too late for one of them to break through.
"But they have to make compelling arguments," he said. "There doesn't seem to be a lot of daylight between the candidates on the issues that primary voters care deeply about."
While they may diverge on the details, all five Republican candidates have said they support expanding school choice and restricting abortion, and they oppose the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines.
Zach Lahn talks 'MAHA' issues
Businessman and farmer Zach Lahn has taken some different positions on health and agriculture issues, which got him endorsed by the political arm of the "Make America Healthy Again," or MAHA, movement. He also has significant financial resources and loaned his campaign $2 million last year.
At Lahn's recent event at a campground in Waukee, he said big agriculture companies have lied to Iowans about the safety of their products. In addition to restricting abortion to protect "life at conception," he said Iowans should focus on preventing early deaths.
"Having clean water is a pro-life issue," Lahn said. "Cutting our cancer rates down is a pro-life issue. And I've been very clear: removing the COVID vaccine from the market is a pro-life issue."
While Lahn previously participated in Republican debates and candidate forums, he declined to join more recent debates, saying any debate without Feenstra is "a farce."
Julianna Curtis, a Republican voter from West Des Moines, was at Lahn's event and said she was leaning toward supporting him. She said she likes that Lahn approaches issues differently from standard Democratic and Republican talking points, and she said that would make him a better candidate to go up against Sand.
Curtis does not think Feenstra is guaranteed to win the primary.
"I think both Zach and Adam Steen have really good chances to beat him, particularly since they are getting out in the communities talking to people more," she said.
Adam Steen says this election is 'good vs. evil'
Adam Steen, former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, calls himself "the Jesus guy." He was endorsed by conservative evangelical group The Family Leader and has described the election as a battle between good and evil.
Steen said if Feenstra is on the ballot in November, Sand will likely be Iowa's next governor.
"An Adam Steen candidate not only has the business background, not only has the government operations background, but he's got the world view, the tenacity and the ability to take on Rob Sand — to beat Rob Sand — to keep Iowa free, to protect our families, to protect our children," he said.
Steen has said his priorities include protecting kids from being exposed to pornography, banning Sharia law, and expanding education savings accounts to homeschooled students.
Brad Sherman highlights grassroots experience
Former state Rep. Brad Sherman said his experience in Republican grassroots activism — and his decision to get in the race before Reynolds announced her retirement — sets him apart from the other candidates.
He also said he grew up doing farm drainage work.
"I literally have swamp draining experience … but that's a good skill, I think, to have in government," Sherman said. "Just like we need open ditches for our fields, we need transparency in government."
Sherman said more transparency would help curb property tax increases. He said his priorities include combating human trafficking, promoting "medical freedom" and protecting private property owners from eminent domain. He also left the door open to making abortion a crime in some cases.
Eddie Andrews says he can appeal to a wide range of voters
State Rep. Eddie Andrews, of Johnston, said he would do well in the general election because he has won three times in a left-leaning district.
"We are going to want a person who can address — just like Ronald Reagan — hold that banner high and attract people, more people, not just Republicans, but also people that are in the middle," he said. "And I'm the only one with the receipts."
Andrews said his priorities include eliminating property taxes, restoring Iowa as a top-ranked state for education and improving mental healthcare.
One of these five men must get at least 35% of the vote on June 2 to win the primary. If they fall short, delegates to the Republican state convention on June 13 will choose the party's nominee to appear on the ballot in November.
Looking ahead to the general election
Nonpartisan election analysts at The Cook Political Report have labeled the Iowa governor's race as a "toss up" — the most competitive category.
Sand is the only Democrat in a statewide elected office in Iowa, and he doesn't have a challenger in the primary election. His campaign had far more cash on hand at the end of 2025 than Feenstra's, and he held 100 town hall events across the state last year, with plans to repeat that tour in 2026.
Republicans, however, have highlighted their voter registration advantage in the state. More than 776,000 Iowans were registered as Republicans as of May 4, and more than 590,000 Iowans were registered as Democrats. About 760,000 registered voters did not declare a party affiliation.
But Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said at a recent event that if GOP voters don't unite behind the nominee after the primary, there could be consequences. He said Sand is a "left-winger" who "plays pretend Republican."
"I don't care which one of these five individuals become governor; they will be eons, miles better than Rob Sand," Kaufmann said. "So, after this primary, let's unite and prevent Rob Sand from pulling this sham on all of us."
Maddie Moher, press secretary for Sand's campaign, said Republicans are scared because their "grasp on power "is under threat with Sand on the ballot.
"They have no answer for their record of higher costs, rising cancer rates and attacks on public schools. So they've resorted to lying about Rob to change the subject," she said. "Iowans are tired of the politics as usual that has left our state falling behind, and are ready for a leader who will get to work on day one to solve some of Iowa's toughest challenges. That leader is Rob Sand."
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