Rob Sand, the leading Democratic candidate for governor, raised $9.5 million last year, his campaign announced on Thursday. “A majority of the donations — two thirds — came from Iowans,” the campaign’s statement said.
According to the campaign, “Nearly 97 percent of contributions were $100 or less, with an average individual donation of $74, and no corporate PAC money.” The campaign also noted, “The figure does not include any self-funding or donations from the candidate’s in-laws.”
That caveat was likely needed, since Sand reported receiving campaign donations in 2024 of $3 million from his wife Christine and $4 million from her parents, Nixon and Nancy Lauridsen.
“Every one of my campaigns has had substantial financial support from my in-laws, which I appreciate,” Sand told Radio Iowa in May, after he announced his campaign for governor. “They know me really well and they trust me to do the right thing. I also in every one of those campaigns have had record-breaking grassroots support.”
Sand reported receiving 28,000 small-dollar donations in 2024. Although Sand, the State Auditor and the only Democrat in Iowa holding a statewide office, didn’t officially announce his campaign for governor until May 11, 2025, he had been widely expected to run for years. Sand finished 2024 with $8.6 million in his campaign account. According to the statement on Thursday, his campaign had $13.2 million on hand as of Dec. 31, 2025.
The campaign said Sand received donations from people in all 99 Iowa counties, “including more than 1,200 registered Republicans from 98 counties and over 4,000 ‘no party’ voters.” According to the statement, “teacher” was the most common profession listed by donors, accounting for more than 2,100 donations. The second-most common profession among donors was nurse, with more than 800 of them donating.
Although Sand is by far the best-known and best-financed Democrat in the race, there are two other candidates currently seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Julie Staunch, who has worked on many Democratic campaigns in Iowa but has never run for office herself, announced her candidacy in June. She has not yet published fundraising totals for 2025. Paul Dahl, a perennial candidate for office who often fails to qualify the primary ballot, is also running.
The 2026 primary election will be held on June 2. The general election is Nov. 3.
