Sand and Fire

Robert Howard Sand (born August 12, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician who is the governor-elect of Iowa. A member of the Democratic Party, he has served as the 33rd state auditor of Iowa since 2019. Raised in Decorah, Iowa, Sand graduated from Brown University and the University of Iowa College of Law. Following early work on state political campaigns, he was appointed as the assistant attorney general of Iowa in 2010 and served until 2017. In 2018, he ran for state auditor, defeating Republican incumbent Mary Mosiman. After considering a run for governor of Iowa in 2022, Sand opted to run for reelection instead; he was the sole Democrat elected to a statewide office in Iowa in 2022. In May 2025, he announced his candidacy in the 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election. He won the Democratic nomination unopposed and defeated Republican businessman and farmer Zach Lahn in the general election, 55.5% to 44.5%.