Democrat Rob Sand wins Iowa governor race ending 20 years GOP control

Democratic candidate Rob Sand has won the Iowa governor race, defeating Republican Zach Lahn in a campaign to replace retiring Republican Governor Kim Reynolds. The Washington Examiner reported that the Associated Press called the election at 11:14 p.m., with Sand securing 57.7% of the vote against Lahn's 42.3% with 79% of the votes counted. The victory makes Sand the first Democrat elected to lead Iowa in 20 years, an outcome also confirmed by reports from The Hill, Heartland Signal, and NPR. [1][8][10][11]

Sand has served as the state auditor of Iowa since 2019 and previously worked as an assistant attorney general from 2010 to 2017. He was the only Democrat elected to statewide office in Iowa during the 2022 elections. [12]

Democrats scored additional statewide victories across the country. According to Fox News, Democrat Amy Acton defeated Republican Vivek Ramaswamy in the Ohio governor race, ending 20 years of Republican control in the state. In Texas, the Washington Examiner reported that Democrat James Talarico flipped a United States Senate seat by defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton. NBC News reported that Democrat Annie Andrews won a Senate seat in South Carolina by defeating Republican Senator Darline Graham. [2][5][7]

In the United States House of Representatives, the Washington Examiner reported that Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti flipped Pennsylvania's 8th Congressional District by unseating freshman Republican Representative Rob Bresnahan. The Associated Press called that race at 10:41 p.m., with Cognetti earning 55.2% of the vote. In Florida, Representative Kathy Castor retained her seat in Tampa against Republican challenger Mike Beltran with 51.2% of the vote. [3][4]