‘Our democracy is run by two private clubs’: can a pro-hunting Democrat lead a blue wave in Iowa?

Rob Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate under Donald Trump. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP View image in fullscreen Rob Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate under Donald Trump. Photograph: Charlie Neibergall/AP ‘Our democracy is run by two private clubs’: can a pro-hunting Democrat lead a blue wave in Iowa? As Trump’s approval ratings dip and gas prices rise, Democrats see an opening with Rob Sand R ob Sand, the best-known Democrat in Iowa , appears on podcasts to discuss his love of hunting, begins rallies by having the audience sing America the Beautiful and has a tendency to criticize the country’s two-party political system. Now, Sand is running to lead a state that Republicans have come to dominate under Donald Trump, and Democrats believe his candidacy for governor could be the breakthrough needed to win key Iowa offices in the November midterm elections. With Trump’s approval ratings deep underwater , gas prices high and historical political trends favoring the party out of power, Democrats this year are considering a comeback in Iowa, putting the state at the center of their campaigns to win back control of both the US House of Representatives and the Senate. On Tuesday, voters will cast ballots in primary elections that set the stage for months of what is likely to be fevered campaigning by candidates of both parties. ‘It’s taking all of our money’: truck drivers in Iowa lament gas price surge sparked by Trump’s Iran war Read more “I think this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for us to be able to win here in Iowa. I mean, this is a state that has completely hit the bottom,” said Josh Turek, a state representative who is one of two Democrats vying to represent Iowa in the US Senate. Democrats in Iowa have little to lose, and much to gain. The state played a pivotal role in elevating Barack Obama to the presidency in 2008, but since then, Republicans have become the dominant party, controlling the governor’s mansion since 2011, both US Senate seats since 2015 and all of its US House seats since 2023. This year, Democrats believe they have a shot at winning three of the state’s US House seats, gains that could prove pivotal in putting them back into the majority in the Congress’s lower chamber. They are also expected to be competitive in the race to succeed Joni Ernst, the Republican who is retiring as Iowa’s junior senator. Sand, the auditor who is the last Democrat holding statewide-elected office in Iowa , is considered a strong contender to replace the state’s retiring Republican governor, Kim Reynolds. On the campaign trail, he has shied away from embracing Democratic shibboleths while criticizing Republicans for leading Iowa astray, noting that the state’s economy is struggling while cancer rates are surging . “What I’m going to emphasize is that our democracy is run by two private clubs who have a lot of people in them who are happier to have you hate your