Zach Lahn wins Iowa GOP governor primary, upsetting Trump-backed rival

Politics Zach Lahn projected to win Iowa GOP governor primary, upsetting Trump's pick in a state Democrats hope to flip By Joe Walsh Joe Walsh Senior Editor, Politics Joe Walsh is a senior editor for digital politics at CBS News. Joe previously covered breaking news for Forbes and local news in Boston. Read Full Bio Joe Walsh Updated on: June 3, 2026 / 2:08 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Zach Lahn will win the Republican primary for Iowa governor, CBS News projects, overcoming a Trump-backed congressman and setting up a November contest against Democrat Rob Sand that could be one of this year's most competitive gubernatorial races.Lahn — a farmer and businessman who has touted his ties to the "Make America Healthy Again" movement — prevailed over a crowded GOP field on Tuesday. Sand, who serves as state auditor, ran for the Democratic nomination unopposed. His victory bucks the recent winning streak of Trump-backed candidates and marks an upset over Rep. Randy Feenstra, who didn't attend any primary debates and was viewed by many observers as a frontrunner. President Trump endorsed Feenstra last week, calling him "MAGA all the way," and several top Iowa GOP figures backed him. Feenstra conceded late Tuesday night, saying in a speech surrounded by his family that the outcome "wasn't what I wanted." Describing himself as a sixth-generation Iowan, Lahn owns a family farm and runs the agriculture, technology and real estate investment firm Homeplace Ventures. He's running for governor on a populist-inflected platform that he branded "Iowa First," and has vowed to encourage more local ownership of farmland and address Iowa's high cancer rate.Lahn was endorsed last year by MAHA Action, a group founded by allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and he picked up support from the late Charlie Kirk's Turning Point Action last week. He was also endorsed by former Rep. Steve King, who was known for incendiary comments...