Republican businessman Zach Lahn, who entered the Iowa primary race for governor as a virtual unknown, has stunned U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra, the party’s expected nominee.
Although endorsed by President Donald Trump, Feenstra conceded the race to Lahn at a watch party in Hull the evening of June 2 before the race officially was called.
According to unofficial election results from the Iowa Secretary of State, Lahn was leading around with 37.7% of the vote — enough to clinch the nomination outright. Nearly all the vote was counted by 11:20 p.m.
Feenstra had garnered 36.9%.
Candidates needed to earn at least 35% to avoid sending the nomination to be decided by grassroots delegates at a state convention.
If those results hold as expected, Lahn will face Democratic state Auditor Rob Sand, who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination.
His victory in the June 2 primary would reset the general election playing field.
Lahn’s supporters at a West Des Moines watch party pumped their fists and filled the air with chants of “Zach” as the room’s giant projector displayed Randy Feenstra’s concession speech.
They hugged and congratulated each other as the news came in. And when Lahn took the stage just after 11 p.m. to thank his supporters, they were raucous.
“I don’t have to tell you this, but nobody thought this could be done,” Lahn said. “We were outspent, opposed by the establishment, told to wait our turn. Well, tonight, the people of Iowa had something to say about that — that we’re not going to wait anymore.”
At his own election night event in Hull, Feenstra said he called Lahn to concede the race and promise to do everything he could to help elect him governor.
“The outcome wasn’t what I wanted,” Feenstra said. “But for me, I think for everybody in this room, God’s got some awesome plans. … We’ve got a new chapter, and so I’m looking forward to that new chapter in life. I’ve been in politics a long time. And you know what, God has now said, ‘Hey Randy, we’re into something else.’”
Republican leaders promise to unite after divisive primary
Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann congratulated Lahn in a statement and urged the party to come together now that a nominee has been decided.
“The Republican Party of Iowa has and will always be a grassroots-powered, bottom-up movement, and they have spoken,” he said. “Zach will work to keep Iowa the best place to live, work and raise a family. Now, it is time to unite behind our nominee and stop Democrat Rob Sand, who would take our state down the same failed path as Illinois, Minnesota and California with higher taxes, bigger government and less freedom.”
Christian conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats, who had endorsed Adam Steen in the primary race, also congratulated Lahn.
“As we said from the beginning, whoever emerged as the Republican nominee would have our support, because the stakes are too high for Republicans to remain divided,” he said in a statement. “This election is ultimately about the direction and identity of the state of Iowa.”
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart criticized Lahn, saying he enters the general election “on the back foot after a bruising five-way primary that forced him to burn through his cash and tore Iowa Republicans apart.”
“Iowans have had enough of failed one-party rule and untrustworthy political insiders like Lahn,” she said. “The more they get to know him, they will see exactly why Lahn is wrong for Iowa, and they will send him back to Kansas in November.”
Feenstra entered race as frontrunner but failed to clear path
Numerous Republicans heavyweights signaled they would consider running for the nomination when incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds made the surprise announcement in April 2025 that she would not seek reelection.
But many of those would-be contenders eventually pulled their name from consideration, clearing a path for Feenstra to emerge as the early favorite in the race.
Feenstra entered the campaign cycle as the presumed frontrunner with higher name recognition than his competitors, a sizeable war chest and the support of some of Iowa’s top elected officials.
But he was never able to clear the field of challengers as he struggled to connect with the party’s MAGA grassroots activists.
Those Republican activists have been expressing their frustration with Feenstra for months as he largely eschewed public events, candidate forums and primary debates.
As Feenstra floundered, Lahn made inroads.
Lahn is a businessman, entrepreneur and farmer who aligned himself with Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. And his message of fighting special interests, taking on corporate monopolies, and targeting Iowa’s rising cancer rates struck a chord on the campaign trail.
Last-minute Trump endorsement isn’t enough to push Feenstra across finish line
Feenstra was aided by a last-minute endorsement from Trump.
Just days before the election, Trump posted on social media that Feenstra had his “Complete and Total Endorsement.”
“Randy is MAGA all the way!” Trump wrote in the May 29 Truth Social post.
The Feenstra campaign quickly cut TV ads announcing Trump’s support and blasted them across the airwaves, potentially boosting his candidacy in the crucial final days of the race.
And although it may have buoyed his prospects, the endorsement also angered many MAGA-aligned activists who saw it as an effort to blunt Lahn’s surge.
Ultimately, Trump’s blessing was not enough to push Feenstra over the finish line.
General election matchup could be ‘barnburner’
The primary results set the stage of a general election gubernatorial matchup that national elections analysts say could be a “barnburner.”
The Cook Political Report has called the race a “toss-up” contest.
A March poll by Democratic pollster GBAO showed Feenstra trailing Sand by 8 percentage points in a head-to-head matchup.
But there has not yet been public polling about a Lahn-Sand matchup.
Sand reported about $18 million in cash on hand in his most recent financial disclosures — far more than the roughly $600,000 Lahn reported.
But both men are able to direct their own or family money into their races. Sand’s wealthy in-laws have given his campaign about $11.5 million. And Lahn has loaned himself $2.5 million.
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: Randy Feenstra, Trump’s pick for Iowa governor, concedes to Zach Lahn
Reporting by Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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