PHOTO BY ROBIN OPSAHL/IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, shown here during a news conference April 28, 2026, broke campaign contribution records in a report released July 20, 2026.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand’s campaign said Monday he broke an Iowa record for the most money raised by a statewide campaign in a fundraising period, raising more than $9.38 million from May 27 to July 14.

During the first four and a half months of 2026, the Rob Sand for Iowa campaign raised $9.68 million, another Iowa fundraising record. With total expenditures accounted for, the Sand campaign has more than $17.95 million on hand as of July 14.

“Less than four months from Election Day, the Sand campaign is keeping its foot on the gas – and shattering state records along the way,” Emma O’Brien, Sand’s deputy campaign manager, said in a news release Monday.

According to the campaign’s press release, Sand, the current state auditor, received more than 33,500 donations from Iowa residents in all 99 counties in the latest fundraising period, with more than 2,400 of those donations coming from registered Republicans.

Sand received his largest donation of $2.5 million from the Democratic Governor’s Association institution in Washington, D.C., during the fundraising period.

Sand has received criticism from Republicans for receiving large donations from his wife and father-in-law, receiving $1.5 million from his wife in the last fundraising period. Sand’s father-in-law, Nixon Lauridsen, has donated a total of $2 million to Sand’s campaign in 2026.

During the most recent fundraising period, the Sand campaign did not receive any donations from his family, wife or father-in-law.

Sand’s Republican opponent, Zach Lahn, raised more than $6.3 million from May 27 to July 14, a significant increase from a little over $60,000 raised during the last fundraising period, although Lahn had received a $500,000 loan during that time.

Lahn did not receive any loans during this period, but he received six large donations from RGA Right Direction PAC in Washington D.C., which donated a total of $5 million to Lahn’s campaign during the fundraising period.

Despite having more than $7 million on hand before expenditures, the Lahn campaign has spent more than $5.9 million during the fundraising period, leaving more than $1.04 million on hand.