Less than a week after officially becoming the Democratic nominee for governor, Rob Sand announced Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer and member of the Crawford County Board of Supervisors, as his choice for lieutenant governor.
“Dave has a track record of working with everyone to deliver for western Iowa and knows it’s time to rotate the crops in state government,” Sand said in the news release announcing his choice of Muhlbauer. “He’ll be a great partner on the trail and an even better lieutenant governor for the people of Iowa.”
Muhlbauer farms corn, soybeans, rye and raises cattle and hogs on his farm near Manilla, where he lives with his wife Linda and their three children. Mulbauer is the fifth generation of his family to farm in western Iowa, and the third generation to serve in elected office. His grandfather, Louis, and his father, Dan, were both elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. His grandfather served five terms, starting in 1983, and his father served two terms, starting in 2011. Both also served on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors. Both were Democrats.
Muhlbauer cited their influence in his statement about becoming Sand’s running mate.
“This campaign is about public service, not politics — something I learned from my dad and grandpa when they served our community,” he said. “I am honored to be Rob’s partner in this race, and I cannot wait to meet voters all across our state to talk about making Iowa not redder or bluer, but better and truer.”
Dave Muhlbauer was first elected to the Crawford County Board of Supervisors in 2016. He ran for reelection in 2020, but lost by 95 votes. In May 2021, he became the first Democrat to launch a 2022 campaign seeking to challenge Sen. Chuck Grassley. He ended his Senate run six months later, saying his decision came after “a period of reflection with family and close friends” following the death of his 4-year-old nephew in a farm accident.
In 2022, Muhlbauer ran for a seat on the board of supervisors again. He was one of only two Democrats to win in Crawford County. The other was County Attorney Colin Johnson, who ran unopposed. Rob Sand won his second term as State Auditor in 2022, but lost in Crawford County by almost 1,900 votes. Muhlbauer was running for another term as supervisor before being tapped for lieutenant governor.
In an interview published Monday morning, Muhlbauer told Doug Burns of The Iowa Mercury that he and Sand share the same core principles and the same goals for the state.
“For us, it’s about making government work for the people and fixing a broken political system,” he said.
Speaking to Little Village during a campaign stop in Iowa City when he was running for Senate in 2021, Muhlbauer described himself as “solution-oriented,” which he said made it possible for a Democrat to successfully work with Republicans, because “we could reach across the table, and we can really have open, and just honest conversations about issues we face.”
Asked how a Democrat wins statewide in a place like Iowa where Republicans hold a substantial advantage in the number of registered voters, Muhlbauer said, “It’s really just pounding the pavement and just getting our message out there. All we can do is be who we are, and get our message out there.”
Sand and Muhlbauer will hold their first joint campaign appearance in Manning on Wednesday.
