Democratic Governor Nominee Rob Sand Hosts Town Hall in Manchester

Janelle Tucker June 18, 2026Last Updated: June 23, 2026

1 minute read

The Democratic nominee for Iowa Governor was in Delaware County on Thursday.

Rob Sand hosted a town hall meeting at the Delaware County Community Center at the fairgrounds in Manchester. Over one hundred people RSVP’d and attended Thursday’s event to meet Sand and hear him speak about how he would lead the state.

Sand ran unopposed in the June Democratic primary and will face Republican businessman and farmer Zach Lahn in November’s general election.

Sand kicked off his annual 100 Town Hall Tour in his hometown of Decorah on Wednesday night, with town hall meetings also in Clayton and Jones counties on Thursday – and he plans to reach every county in the state as he does every year.

Sand has also announced a new policy proposal as part of his “Accountability for All” agenda – making public town halls a requirement for elected officials to qualify on the Iowa ballot.

Part of Sand’s “Truer Better Agenda” is addressing water quality issues – that includes investing in water quality monitors, establishing a dirty water notification system, increasing wetlands for health and habitat, and expanding and improving current conservation programs by offering tax credits for farmers.

Sand is also calling for mandatory prison time for anyone who steals Iowans’ tax dollars.

Sand also commented on the latest results showing that Iowa’s education system has fallen into 27th nationally, placing it in the bottom half of U.S. states.

At Thursday’s Delaware County town hall, Sand answered questions about mental health gaps, water quality, inclusion of minorities in government funding, school vouchers and opening up primaries to Independents.

If you’d like to attend one of Sand’s 100 Town Hall Tour events, you can find the schedule and RSVP here: https://www.mobilize.us/robsandia/.