Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand opened a field office in Cedar Rapids on March 11 with the goal of picking up his campaign’s momentum in eastern Iowa eight months before Election Day.
A field office is a central location for campaign organizing, mobilization of voters, and community outreach.
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The Cedar Rapids location marks the second field office for Sand’s campaign, the first one opening in Des Moines on Jan. 29. The office space was previously rented by Linn County Democrats and will serve as a hub for community involvement until the election, an organizer for the campaign said.
Sand is Iowa’s only statewide elected Democrat, serving as state auditor since 2018, and has been the presumptive Democratic nominee for the governor’s race since launching his bid in May 2025.
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, leads the pack of Republican gubernatorial hopefuls in fundraising. Other candidates include Adam Steen, former director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, Iowa Rep. Eddie Andrews, R-Johnston, former Iowa Rep. Brad Sherman, and Zach Lahn, an Eastern Iowa farmer and businessman.
Sand’s campaign sits in the strongest financial position of any gubernatorial hopeful, with more than $9.5 million raised in 2025, according to campaign finance reports from the Iowa Ethics and Campaigns Disclosure Board. Feenstra, the top-fundraising Republican, raised $4.3 million in the same cycle.
Sand said he hopes people of all political affiliations will come to the field office and help organize for the campaign because they disagree with the direction Iowa has gone in recent years. He said the office will serve as a place for face-to-face conversations with voters.
He emphasized how important volunteers are to the success of a campaign, which is why he said the office is opening with eight months left before Election Day.
“The more we reach out, the more you make this your second home or your second job between now and November, the better chance we have, because we know this race is going to be close,” Sand said.
Sand said building relationships across the political divide is essential, and that he hopes Iowa moves away from partisan politics toward a unified state that represents the people.
“I’m not standing here as someone who is in love with our two choice political system,” Sand said. “I frankly think that neither party has solved enough problems to deserve a monopoly on our choices at the ballot box.”
Jane Lonergan-Highley, a Linn County resident and retired educator, said public schools in Iowa have struggled under Reynolds’administration. She said public education and proper treatment of immigrants are her top issues in the upcoming gubernatorial election, and that Sand has already proven he is up to the job through his “remarkable” work as state auditor.
Lonergan-Highley said she hopes the new field office will break down partisan barriers in the community. She said Sand has already been widely accessible to voters, but that the field office will only improve his visibility and local connections.
Al Willett, a Linn County resident, said he and his wife attended a September 2025 campaign event for Sand in Cedar Rapids. Willett said he was impressed with the turnout at the previous event and came to the field office opening to continue to hear about Sand’s vision for Iowa.
Willett said his two biggest issues are strengthening Iowa’s education system and making sure residents have access to clean water. Willett said Sand’s overall approach to his campaign is what makes him stand out the most.
He said Sand is working to bring Iowans from both sides of the aisle together, instead of polarizing people because of their political party. Willett said the stand-alone field office will help bring momentum for the campaign to the eastern half of the state.
Sue Biederman, a Linn County resident, said she looks forward to stopping by the new field office to help the campaign however she can. She said she supports Sand because she wants to rid Iowa politics of “corruption and lies.”
“Truth is so important,” Biederman said. “Without truth, we have nothing. Right now, we pretty much don’t have anything, because the truth isn’t out there right now.”