Between the funnel cakes, midway rides and people-watching, the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox has become a fixture at the Iowa State Fair.
This year, Republican Zach Lahn and Democrat Rob Sand drew large crowds as they made their cases to become Iowa’s next governor under very different summer skies.
Lahn outlines his 'Iowa First' agenda
Lahn faced a rainy Friday afternoon, but the weather didn’t appear to dampen the enthusiasm of his supporters. As he looked through the crowd, he noticed some people holding signs for both him and his opponent. Lahn used the moment to draw a contrast with Sand.
“You know the biggest difference between these signs and those signs? George Soros didn't pay for these signs,” Lahn said, pointing to his supporters' posters.
The businessman from Belle Plaine said he wants to improve the quality of life for Iowans and give young people more reasons to stay in the state.
He said he plans to stick with the issues he believes helped him defeat U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in the Republican primary.
“That means we should have good schools. That we should have clean water, a good, fair judicial system. That’s what our campaign’s been about this entire time,” Lahn said. “And in the primary election, people saw that. They understood. That’s what we were fighting for.”
Lahn also highlighted his "Iowa First" agenda, which includes protecting family farms from large agricultural companies, strengthening public education and addressing Iowa’s high cancer rates.
“I will not stop talking about this issue and putting in place real solutions to make it better for the people of Iowa, so they can live long, healthy lives and want to have their kids and grandkids stay here,” Lahn said. “That is my commitment to you.”
He criticized the millions of dollars Sand’s campaign has received from family members and again challenged him to long-form, Lincoln-Douglas-style debates, without a moderator.
At a venue surrounded by livestock barns, Lahn ended his speech by borrowing a little farm language to describe what he thinks is wrong with politics.
“We're bringing a real message to the people about how to make Iowa a better place, and we're saying enough of this partisan bull crap that's been going on for a long time,” Lahn said. “Both sides are implicated in many of these issues, and we need somebody who's going to fight the special interests, the corporate giants and the lobbyists.”
Sand makes his case against partisan politics
When Sand took to the soapbox stage under dry skies and high humidity on Saturday, he didn’t turn up the heat on his opponent. In fact, he didn’t mention Lahn at all.
Instead, Sand spent much of his speech criticizing the two-party system. He argued that political leaders benefit from keeping voters divided and said Iowa needs people willing to work across party lines.
“Our political system is broken, largely because it's run by two private clubs," Sand said. "Many of the people who are in the leadership of those private clubs are happy to have you hate people you used to love if it means that it's easier for them to control you. They've realized that a lot of the problems that we face are hard to solve."
Sand emphasized his message of finding common ground by inviting the crowd to join him in singing the patriotic hymn “America the Beautiful.”
“Oh, beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,” the crowd sang.
The Decorah native previously worked as an assistant Iowa attorney general from 2010 to 2017 before he was elected state auditor.
Sand pointed to the leadership team he assembled in the auditor’s office as an example of his willingness to work with people from different political backgrounds. He said an independent and a Republican who had donated to his opponent were among those he promoted.
“We also uncovered a record amount of misspent money in my first term as the state auditor,” Sand said. “We did that because I built a senior leadership team of people who think differently from each other.”
Sand said his skepticism of the two-party system goes back to when he first registered to vote as an independent. He said his faith also influenced which party he ultimately chose.
“The New Testament is focused on the little guy, and in my early 20s it was clear to me that the Democratic Party was more focused on the little guy,” Sand said.
Even so, Sand argued that simply replacing Republican control of state government with Democratic control would not solve Iowa’s problems.
“I'm not here to tell you that the answer is to give the other party 10 years of one-party control,” Sand said. “If you think that that's the answer, then I think that you should visit California and New York.”
Instead, Sand said people with different viewpoints often come up with better solutions when they work together. He said that philosophy runs counter to the way he feels many people approach politics.
“People who love politics, they tell me, ‘Sand, you dummy. You're doing it wrong. The people who oppose you, you're supposed to punish them. The people who support you, you're supposed to reward them. That's how you get as much power as possible and make everybody scared of you,’” Sand said.
Sand also called for improving water quality and education and for better management of the state budget.
He acknowledged that some of his positions have upset members of his own party, but said elected officials should tell people what they believe rather than what they think voters want to hear.
Sand responds to a confrontation at the fair
During a news conference after his soapbox appearance, Sand addressed an encounter at the fair on Thursday, when activists from the conservative group Turning Point USA followed and taunted him as he walked through the fairgrounds.
“I felt bad for all the people around us who were trying to enjoy the fair and having their experience disrupted,” Sand said.
Rather than dwell on the confrontation, Sand said he urged his supporters to take the higher road.
“Don’t behave like the kids from Turning Point USA,” Sand said. “Be respectful.”
Iowa GOP chairman takes aim at Sand
While Lahn said the general election should focus on ideas rather than personal attacks, Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann struck a sharper tone during a news conference before Lahn’s soapbox appearance at the Republican Party of Iowa State Fair Booth inside the Varied Industries Building.
With Lahn by his side, Kaufmann criticized Sand’s efforts to distance himself from partisan politics, calling the message disingenuous.
“We're not red, we're not blue and all that phony crap,” Kaufmann said, referring to Sand's campaign slogan. “If you know anything at all about Republican politics or Democratic politics, what a farce all those statements are.”
Kaufmann also questioned Sand’s performance as state auditor.
“Every one of you that cover the Capitol knows those lights are off constantly,” Kaufmann said. “You know that the Legislature uses his office for committee meetings because there’s nobody in there most of the time.”
Lahn also joked with reporters about the number of people who turned out to see him.
“Last year, I never expected I'd be doing what I'm doing right now,” Lahn said. “My crowd was just seven kids and my wife.”
