Sand talks change

“Building something different” was a theme of Iowa Auditor Rob Sand during his annual 100 Town Hall Tour last Monday morning at Your Sweet Pickins’ as he talked to a packed room.

Currently serving his second term as state auditor, Sand announced in May that he was running as a Democrat in the race for Iowa governor in the 2026 election; Sand is currently the only Democrat holding a statewide office. During his hour in Osceola, he talked about his work as auditor and work he would do in the governor’s seat.

A native of Decorah, Sand grew up with parents who were registered Independents, stating they chose to vote on the issues and person’s character as opposed to their political affiliation. When he was old enough to register Sand did so as an Independent, disfavoring partisanship.

“I didn’t like the idea of just deciding what was right or what was wrong based on what somebody else told me,” he said.

However, to vote in a primary election in Iowa one must be registered as either a Democrat or a Republican. Sand registered as a Democrat to be able to vote, saying he chose the party that is “for the little guy.” Later, after six years in the state attorney general’s office prosecuting cases, Sand needed a change and decided to run for the state auditor office, an office he had worked closely with in his role as a prosecutor.

“I can use the law as it’s written to work more efficiently, as it should and for everyone,” Sand said, with a goal of saving tax dollars for Iowans.

Auditor

In his first term, he uncovered a record amount of misspent money, which he said was achieved by being more assertive and having different people who work differently come together, including the two deputy positions in the state auditor’s office. Sand has also stripped away requirements for employment in his office like place of residence or type of degree. By design, lead officials in Sands office are representative of multiple political and professional backgrounds.

“I picked the people that my predecessor actually wanted… I’m trying to do public service not politics, and that’s the difference,” Sand said.

Referencing Senate File 478 which passed in 2023 and restricts the auditor’s office from looking at eight different categories of documents, he called the law the “clearest red flag you could possibly have that things are moving in the wrong direction in Des Moines.” In order to appeal not being given documents, the auditor’s office would have to go before a three-person arbitration panel, two of whom are appointed by the governor.

Sand said Iowans are experiencing the 49th best economy in the United States, which is 48th for

personal income growth. Iowa is first in the nation for cancer growth and the education system is in the middle.

“Foundation in education, why did they put that on our quarter… because we were,” Sand said. “Folks, Nebraska is beating us.”

According to a report by U.S. News, Nebraska rates 13th in the nation in education with Iowa ranked 20th.

Before opening the floor for questions, Sand said the reason the statistics make him upset comes back to stories in the New Testament about Jesus flipping tables of money changers.

“What are we doing when our cancer rates are going up and the people in the seats of power in Des Moines are just making it harder for you to know how they’re misspending your money,” Sand said. “I’m running for gov because there are some tables that need flipping in Des Moines right now.”

Education

In answering questions about education, Sand said he would like to improve funding for public school, and call Republican legislatures on their bluff when it comes to school choice.

“You take public money, you have to take the public… if this is really about school choice, we should have an income limit… this money should actually be going to people who did not have that choice,” he said, adding in the lack of accountability for the public.

Sand has in the past criticized the education savings accounts, which gives eligible families funds to be used for tuition, fees and other expenses at accredited, nonpublic Iowa schools; the amount for the 2025-26 school year was $7,988 per student. He acknowledged that if he were to be elected governor, he would be working with a Republican legislature who hold the majority in both the Iowa House and Iowa Senate.

When questioned about the mantra of “public money belongs to public schools” when it’s more that public dollars belong to the person, Sand replied that his answer is still about accountability. In discussing the dismantling of the state’s AEA system, Sand spoke of his mother whose career was a physical therapist for Keystone AEA and the pride he saw reflected in her.

“Never in 730 townhalls did anyone ever come up to me and say, we gotta do something about these AEAs. Not one time,” Sand said, also recognizing it is too early to know what the new reality is, but would work to make sure that kids in rural areas and small towns are still getting access to care.

National Guard

A question was posed about the use of funds for Iowa National Guard members to go to the border. Sand said his office had looked into the use of the funds and found it was not inappropriate from a legal or accounting perspective. He stated that when it came to undocumented people in Iowa, his feeling was if it’s a person with a violent criminal record who is here illegally, they should be removed. However, as a state with a “workforce crisis,” he said it made no sense to him why people who are following the rules, employed and paying taxes are being rushed out.

Healthcare

Talking about healthcare, Sand said on day one he would issue an executive order reversing the privatization of Medicaid in Iowa.

“We have audited privatization of Medicaid in the state of Iowa – it is a disaster,” Sand said, adding they’d found a 500% increase in illegal denials of care after privatization.

As a result, he said, many health care providers are now having to hire more people in order to get paid, with lower liability costs for Managed Care Organizations and cost increases for Iowans.

Water

Touching on issues of water quality in Iowa, Sand said he’s been looking at studies and talking with people in different fields to try to get the best assessment of the situation as he can, to put together a plan that will actually have an impact and is achievable.

In closing, Sand said he feels that Iowans are ready for a change.

“People are fed up. They know that Des Moines isn’t listening to them, they know that Des Moines isn’t looking out for them,” he said. “They want someone who is not just trying to a Democrat or a Republican, but trying to meet people, bring them together and get problems solved for regular people in the state of Iowa.”