Zach Lahn

Zach Lahn describes himself as a sixth-generation Iowan. His family owned a farm near Belle Plaine, Iowa, for more than a century; he grew up in western Iowa, around Sioux City, where his father worked for decades in agriculture and conservation.⁠[1][2]

He graduated from Sioux City East High School.⁠[3]

In 2005, when Lahn had just graduated from high school, his great-grandmother died and the family farm, held by the family for 105 years, was sold.⁠[1]

He attended the University of Colorado Boulder, earning a bachelor’s degree in 2009, and obtained a pilot’s license.⁠[3][2][4]

He worked for congressmen from Montana and Colorado and later served as Montana director of the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity and as a fundraiser for the group.⁠[2][4]

Nearly a decade after the family farm was sold, Lahn bought the property back and over the following years reassembled it parcel by parcel and restored the homestead; he and his family live on that land near Belle Plaine.⁠[1]

Lahn moved to Wichita, Kansas, to help launch the private school Wonder, which covers pre-K through 12th grade and opened in 2018 on the campus of Wichita State University.⁠[2]

He has said he moved from Kansas to Iowa in 2023; he registered to vote in Iowa on October 17, 2024.⁠[2]

On November 6, 2025, Lahn announced his campaign for governor of Iowa in a news release setting out an “Iowa First” agenda, becoming the fifth Republican to officially enter the race. He said: “I'm running for governor because I believe we're losing the Iowa we love.”⁠[4]

He described himself as his campaign’s biggest donor and said: “Big ag and big pharma have rigged the system against farmers and poisoned our families for generations.”⁠[4]

Positions listed on his campaign website include independent safety testing of agricultural products and more Iowa-focused cancer research, more water-quality monitoring, lowering the property tax burden, banning hedge funds from buying single-family homes in Iowa, and requiring disclosure of who owns Iowa farmland.⁠[5]

On June 2, 2026, Lahn narrowly won the five-candidate Republican primary with 37.8% to 37.1% for U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra, who had been endorsed by Trump; Adam Steen was third with 14.4%. Lahn had support from backers of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, and Trump later endorsed him.⁠[3][6][7]

In the general election he faced the Democratic nominee, State Auditor Rob Sand. On the night of November 3, 2026, the Associated Press called the race for Sand; unofficial results showed Sand with more than 55% of the vote.⁠[6][7]

In his concession speech Lahn thanked Sand for a spirited race and said: “I will not stop in my dedication, in my fight to make Iowa the best place to raise a family.”⁠[8]

He and his wife co-founded the investment company Homeplace Ventures.⁠[4][3]

Zach Lahn for Governor: Official website: https://zachlahn.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[5]

X: Public account: https://x.com/ZachLahn (opens in a new window).⁠[5][3]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Public channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ZachLahnforGovernor (opens in a new window).⁠[5]