Candidate for governor Zach Lahn thanked Iowa Republicans for their support at the GOP state convention Saturday, and delegates approved Rep. Derek Wulf as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.
Lahn pulled off a surprise primary win on June 2 over four other GOP candidates to face Democrat Rob Sand, the state auditor, in the highly competitive election for Iowa governor. He told the hundreds of Republican activists gathered in Clive that they understood what they had to do to "beat the establishment" and "put Iowa first."
"I know that not every one of you was a voter for me, but I have been honored to see the outpouring of support from all of you as you have come around this campaign," Lahn said.
He thanked the other Republicans who sought the party's nomination for governor, and he thanked outgoing Gov. Kim Reynolds for her leadership.
Reynolds said Lahn "won one of the most remarkable primary victories this state has seen in years." She said he is a "conservative outsider who believes in Iowa first."
"Zach is the real deal, and he is going to be a phenomenal governor," Reynolds said.
Lahn said Reynolds and the Republican-led Legislature have made "amazing progress" in Iowa.
"But what I ran for was very clear: I believe we are losing our culture as Iowans," he said. "I believe the history and the heritage of our people truly matter. I believe the stories of our history matter."
Lahn said his campaign is about the long-term systemic problems facing the state, and he wants to work to keep kids in Iowa, support family farms, improve public and private education and reduce cancer rates.
He said he wants to "sue the federal government … to bring our rights back home." And Lahn got a standing ovation when he said he would have the state revoke the teaching licenses of teachers who push a political agenda in the classroom.
"We all know what's at stake, but we have to cast a better vision," he said. "We have to bring people to the point where we can lift them to something higher, show them that there's something better on the way."
Lahn said Sand is acting like a moderate but would govern like a "radical."
"He is not a unifier – he is a divider and a wolf in sheep's clothing," he said.
Maddie Moher, a spokesperson for Sand's campaign, said Republicans have resorted to lying about Sand to distract from their record. She said Iowans won't fall for that.
"It's rich to hear attacks on honesty and authenticity from Zach Lahn, who has been lying to Iowans about who he is from day one of this campaign: a career political operative and part-time Iowa resident," Moher said. "Meanwhile, Iowans already know exactly who Rob Sand is: a public servant who has stood up to both parties, uncovered record amounts of waste and corruption, and always puts Iowans first."
Lahn previously told the Des Moines Register he flies his own plane to his second home in Kansas to spend time with children he and his wife have from previous marriages.
Wulf nominated as Lahn's running mate
State convention delegates voted to approve Derek Wulf, a state representative and farmer, as the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor.
Wulf spent most of his speech attacking Sand, saying Sand represents the political class and donor class, while Lahn represents Iowa families and taxpayers.
"And let's be honest, Zach Lahn is fighting for Iowa's future," he said. "It's the biggest reason why I'm standing up here. It's the biggest reason why I said yes when I got the call. Because we know this isn't gonna be easy. It's gonna be a dogfight, and we're here to fight it."
Some convention delegates tried to nominate Adam Steen, a former state agency director who ran in the Republican primary for governor, to be Lahn's running mate. But Steen declined the nomination and left Wulf as the only candidate.
Sand's running mate is Crawford County supervisor and farmer Dave Muhlbauer.
This story was updated Sunday, June 14 at 5:02 p.m. to include a new statement from Rob Sand's campaign.
Copyright 2026 Iowa Public Radio