Iowa County Supervisor Abigail Maas is running for state auditor as a Republican in 2026, she told the Des Moines Register, setting up a primary election against Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer.
The current state auditor, Democrat Rob Sand, has launched a gubernatorial campaign, leaving the auditor seat open.
Cournoyer, a Republican, said in May she would run for the position after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she would not seek another term as governor. Cournoyer has Reynolds’ endorsement in the campaign.
So far, no Democrats have entered the race.
Maas, 33, has served on the Iowa County Board of Supervisors since she was elected in 2020. She lives in South Amana with her husband, Jared, and their two children, Derek and Cora.
Maas and her husband farm, and she owns a flooring store and a horse boarding facility, she said.
“Oddly enough, as a numbers person, state auditor has been a dream job for me,” she said. “I’ve learned over the years that people lie and numbers don’t. And I want the actual job, not the political title.”
Iowa’s auditor often serves in a “watchdog” role by auditing finances within state government to guard against abuse of taxpayer dollars.
Maas said she’s deeply aware of the problems caused by rising property taxes across the state, and she sees a role for the county auditor in helping to address the issue.
“I think that’s a problem, and I want to fix it by serving as a state auditor,” Maas said. “And part of that is how often do you turn on your TV and see yet another case of fraud, waste or abuse in our local government? We have over 3,000 entities levying taxes across Iowa, and I think it’s time to take a really thorough examination over every one of them.”
She said her local government experience, particularly working with local budgets, will help her stand out in a primary race.
“I know what the budgets look like and how to see where all the money is going,” she said. “And so I have the firsthand experience to figure out where it’s going that it’s not supposed to be going.”
Maas said the state should have a better relationship with local government workers.
“I’ve always said that county auditors and city clerks, they’re the heart of local government,” she said. “They see every dollar. They’re in the trenches, and they’re really your eyes and your boots on the ground, and I think we need to reach out to these local experts to bring insight to the auditor’s office and we just need to have a real open dialogue on how to better catch fraud, waste and abuse.”
She said her work ethic will also help set her apart from her competitors.
“As a farmer and a business owner, we know how to work, and I work really hard at everything that I do,” she said. “And it’s kind of odd, not many politicians wake up and get excited about bailing hay or crunching numbers. But my one thing I will promise the people is that I will do my very best to increase the oversight of their dollars, of their taxpayer dollars. And I’m gonna treat them like they’re my own.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa County Supervisor Abigail Maas, a Republican, announces run for state auditor in 2026
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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