Rob Sand is often considered a top 2026 Iowa gubernatorial race contender.
Wait, you say? We are in the final stage of the 2024 election, and I’m already talking about 2026?! Yeah, Rob Sand had a bit of the same reaction when I coaxed him to talk about his future ambitions.
Sand is currently the only Democratic officeholder in state government. He was our guest on Potluck’s Monday Zoom call podcast this week.
Sand is probably better known than any previous Iowa Auditor, not only for his work but because of his command of social media for his thoughts on waste, fraud, and abuse in government, as well as which Iowa convenience chain offers the best breakfast (!?) pizza.
Rob Sand has been the Iowa State Auditor since January 2019. He gained attention for his focus on fighting government waste and rooting out corruption. Before becoming state auditor, he worked as an Assistant Attorney General for Iowa, where he led the state’s prosecution of financial crimes and high-profile fraud cases, such as the “Iowa Lottery Hot Lotto scandal.”
As the Auditor, Sand’s responsibilities include overseeing government financial operations and ensuring that public funds are used appropriately. His work also includes audits of state and local government agencies and investigating complaints of fraud, waste, or abuse.
Sand and Governor Kim Reynolds are frequently at odds. She signed a bill to make documents off-limits to the auditor’s office, adding layers of red tape to access the data he needs to determine if taxpayer money is being spent following the law. After all, that is the job of a state auditor.
Obfuscating how public money is spent seems to be a problem here in recent years. One of Reynold’s signature legislative acts required taxpayer dollars to be given to parents for private school tuition, which is not subject to state scrutiny.
Listen to the podcast or read the transcript for more.
You’ll hear him answer Laura Belin’s question about the timing of a future run for office, and a question by John Hale about an audit that raised concerns about the state's handling of nursing home inspections.
He was reluctant to talk about political issues outside the scope of his current role as State Auditor. Still, it will be interesting to follow this bright, young, rising officeholder when it is time for him to declare his next move.
Monday, noon., October 7
Our next Monday Zoom lunch guest is YOU. What’s on your mind?
The Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Hey, are you receiving the roundup of columns, a collection of extraordinary writers who share an interest in the state of Iowa? If you haven’t already subscribed, please do. They contribute commentary on everything from quilting to sports, business, life on the farm, and (of course) national, state, and local politics.
Nicole Baart: This Stays Here, Sioux Center
Rekha Basu: Shouts and Whispers, Des Moines
Ray Young Bear: From Red Earth Drive, Meskwaki Settlement
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Tory Brecht: Brecht’s Beat, Quad Cities
Dartanyan L. Brown: My Integrated Life, Des Moines
Douglas Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Jane Burns: The Crossover, Des Moines
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Rachelle Chase: Reading with Rachelle, Ottumwa
Iowa Writers Collaborative: Roundup
Steph C: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca: Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Taylor Decker: Taylor’s Millennial Mindset, Sioux City
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Randy Evans: Stray Thoughts, Des Moines via Bloomfield
Daniel P. Finney: Paragraph Stacker, Des Moines
Marianne Fons: Reporting From Quiltropolis, Winterset
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Arnold Garson: Second Thoughts, Okoboji and Sioux Falls
Chris Gloninger: Weathering Climate Change, US
Dennis Goldford: Let’s Talk Politics, Clive
Avery Gregurich: The Five and Dime, Marengo
Fern Kupfer and Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Rob Gray's Area: Rob Gray’s Area, Ankeny
Nik Heftman: The Seven Times, Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilia
Phoebe Wall Howard: Shifting Gears, Detroit
Iowa Capital Dispatch, an alliance with IWC
Iowa Podcasters' Collaborative
Iowa Writers Collaborative Roundup Sunday Roundup
Black Iowa News: Dana James, Iowa
Chris Jones: The Swine Republic, Iowa City
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Calhoun County
Hola Iowa: Iowa
Alison McGaughey: The Inquisitive Quad Citizen, Quad Cities
Kurtis Meyer: Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Vicki Minor: Relatively Minor, Winterset
Wini Moranville: Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Jeff Morrison: Between Two Rivers, Cedar Rapids
Kyle Munson: Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen: The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics Behind the Curtain, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Des Moines
Ty Rushing: Ty’s Take, Iowa City
Steve Semken: Ice Cube Press, LLC, North Liberty
Macey Shofroth: The Midwest Creative, Norwalk
Larry Stone: Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander's Emerging Voices: Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Jason Walsmith: The Racontourist, Earlham
Kali White VanBaale: 988: Mental Healthcare in Iowa, Bondurant
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
