MANILLA, Iowa — Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand has named Crawford County Supervisor and rural farmer Dave Muhlbauer as his running mate as the pair move into a competitive general election.
At his family farm, tucked into the rolling hills of western Iowa, Muhlbauer told the Des Moines Register he’s excited to join Sand’s ticket and help chart a course for change in Iowa.
“I do think local government is closest to the people, boots on the ground. So we hear things firsthand,” he said. “And I just feel like people are upset with the direction of the state. They’re upset that their voices aren’t being heard. They feel like instead of representing the people — special interests and powerful insiders, they’re the ones being represented. And we’re here to change that.”
In a statement, Sand said Muhlbauer “represents the best of our state: hard-working, honest and always willing to help out.”
“Dave has a track record of working with everyone to deliver for western Iowa and knows it’s time to rotate the crops in state government,” Sand said. “He’ll be a great partner on the trail and an even better lieutenant governor for the people of Iowa.”
Sand, who ran unopposed in this year’s primary elections, has been campaigning on unifying the state across party lines by focusing on government accountability, rooting out corruption and reversing the ill effects of one-party control.
Muhlbauer’s addition gives the campaign a foothold in western Iowa and within the farming community, helping to expand Sand’s reach to groups he’ll need to attract to overcome a steep voter registration disadvantage in the state.
Muhlbauer hopes to be a voice for rural Iowa: ‘Farming’s in my blood’
Muhlbauer, a 42-year-old Democrat, is serving in his eighth year on the Crawford County Board of Supervisors.
Born and raised in Manilla, Muhlbauer and his extended family farm corn, soybeans and alfalfa just around the corner from his father’s childhood home. They also raise cattle, hogs and horses.
Muhlbauer’s family has been farming for five generations, and he said he feels the constraints of a worsening ag economy firsthand. At the same time, he said, he knows how hard farmers are trying to work with the state to improve water quality.
He hopes to be a voice for both on the campaign trail.
“Farming’s in my blood. It’s my passion,” he said. “But so is being a political servant.”
In addition to his family’s farm legacy, Muhlbauer’s late father and grandfather also were elected to the board of supervisors and the state Legislature.
“So we’ve been generations of rural Democrats, and we’ve had to win in rural areas that typically are red,” Muhlbauer said. “But to us, and Rob too, it’s not about one side versus the other. It’s like he says, you’re not redder or bluer, but better and truer. And it’s about working across the aisle for commonsense solutions.”
Muhlbauer launched a Democratic campaign for U.S. Senate in the 2022 cycle against Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, running briefly as an “old-school farming-labor Democrat.”
But after the death of his 4-year-old nephew in a farm accident, he ended his campaign.
“We’re a tight-knit family,” he said. “And we just needed to rally together and be here.”
The passion for public service didn’t fade, however. And when Sand offered him the lieutenant governor position, Muhlbauer said his family was behind him 100%.
“They’re all digging in and saying, ‘Dave, whatever you need to do, you go do it,’” he said.
Muhlbauer grew up attending the IKM Community School District, where he played football, wrestled and participated in FFA.
After graduating, he briefly attended Wartburg College in Waverly.
Although Muhlbauer would return to the family farm after just a short time, he was in Waverly long enough to meet his now-wife Linda while competing on a Bremer County rugby team. Linda was playing for a Des Moines-based women’s team.
When Muhlbauer broke his femur during a match (“snapped it clean through”), Linda skipped her match to drive to see him in the hospital.
“That’s when I knew,” he said.
Today, they have three children.
Muhlbauer farmed with his father as partners for more than 20 years, and he took over the operation in 2020 after his father’s death.
He said that on the campaign trail, he hopes to be a voice for both farmers and the power of local government, arguing that the state has taken too much authority away from local leaders.
“Already Rob has so much momentum and energy behind his campaign and being a part of that is exciting for me to do my part to help get him across the finish line,” he said. “Because that’s what people are asking for: They want to see change in iowa.”
Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. She writes about campaigns, elections and the Iowa Caucuses. Reach her at bpfann@dmreg.com or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Meet Dave Muhlbauer, Rob Sand’s running mate in Iowa governor’s race
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
