Candidate · November 3, 2026

Zach Lahn

On the ballot for Governor · Iowa

RepublicanOpen seat
issues with public statements
6

§1On the ballot

Why this matters: This is exactly how the candidate appears on your ballot, from the state's official candidate list.

OfficeGovernor · Iowa1
Party on the ballotRepublican1
StatusOpen seat — no incumbent is running for this seat.
Also on the ballot

§2Who they are

Why this matters: Background and experience help you judge how someone might do the job. These come from public records and the candidate's own materials.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Lahn is a sixth-generation Iowan who grew up in western Iowa, including Sioux City.2 He is a farmer, businessman and pilot.2,3 His family's farm near Belle Plaine was sold in 2005, and nearly a decade later he bought the property back and pieced the farm back together, and his family now lives there.2 He and his wife, Annie, are raising seven children.2,3

Why they say they're running

His campaign website says he is running to reverse the trend of young Iowans leaving the state, by making homes and farms affordable for young people, keeping water safe and returning Iowa's schools to the top.3

Websites and accounts

§3What they've said on the issues

Why this matters: These are positions the candidate has stated publicly — on their campaign website or in public statements — summarized in plain words with a link to where they said it. Issues they haven't spoken about publicly are left out.

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Each issue has its own range of views. A position is marked on that range only when the candidate's own statement clearly matches one option; there is no overall left–right score.

Abortion and Reproductive Health

Abortion law

His campaign website says life should be protected before birth and that he will oppose any attack on Iowa's Heartbeat Bill.2,4

Taxes and Budget

Property taxes

His campaign website says he would reduce the property tax burden on Iowa families and farms, partly by raising property taxes on out-of-state investors and increasing taxes on data centers.4

Housing

Large investors buying single-family homes

His campaign website says he would ban Wall Street hedge funds from buying single-family homes in Iowa and raise taxes on out-of-state institutional investors.3,4

Agriculture and Rural Life

Foreign ownership of farmland

His campaign website says he would end illegal foreign ownership of Iowa farmland and tighten and enforce laws to stop hedge funds and foreign adversaries from buying Iowa farms and homes.3,4

  1. Ban farmland purchases by all foreign buyers
  2. Ban purchases by buyers tied to China, Russia, Iran or North Korea
  3. Require more reporting and national security reviews of purchases, but no outright bans
  4. Keep current reporting rules, with no new limits on foreign buyers
Marked: the option their statement matches.

Education

Vouchers and education savings accounts

His campaign website says he supports school choice, homeschooling and education savings accounts, alongside strengthening public schools.3,4

Books in school libraries

His campaign website says he would keep explicit material out of K-12 classrooms.3

§4Money

Why this matters: Campaigns report where their money comes from and how much they have left.

Candidates for governor file campaign-finance reports with the state, not the FEC, so this guide doesn't include their fundraising. Search the state's reports: Campaign finance data search — Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.5