Rob Sand
Robert Howard Sand (born August 12, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 33rd Iowa Auditor of State since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the Assistant Attorney General of Iowa from 2010 to 2017. In 2018, he ran for state auditor, defeating Republican incumbent Mary Mosiman. After considering a run for governor of Iowa in 2022, Sand opted to run for re-election and was the only Democrat to be elected to a statewide office in Iowa in 2022. In May 2025, he announced his candidacy for the 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election. He is the Democratic nominee, running for the nomination uncontested.
Rob Sand | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Sand in 2025 | |
| 33rd Auditor of Iowa | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2019 | |
| Governor | Kim Reynolds |
| Preceded by | Mary Mosiman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Robert Howard Sand August 12, 1982 Decorah, Iowa, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Christine Lauridsen (m. 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Brown University (BA) University of Iowa (JD) |
| Website | Campaign website |
Robert Howard Sand (born August 12, 1982) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 33rd Iowa Auditor of State since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the Assistant Attorney General of Iowa from 2010 to 2017. In 2018, he ran for state auditor, defeating Republican incumbent Mary Mosiman. After considering a run for governor of Iowa in 2022, Sand opted to run for re-election and was the only Democrat to be elected to a statewide office in Iowa in 2022.
In May 2025, he announced his candidacy for the 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election. He is the Democratic nominee, running for the nomination uncontested.[1][2][3][4]
Early life
[edit]Sand was born in Decorah, Iowa.[5][6] His mother, Leslie, worked as a physical therapist while his father, Kevin, was a doctor. While he attended Decorah High School, he spent two years lobbying community leaders in Decorah to build a skate park.[7][8] Sand graduated from Decorah High School in 2001.[5][6][7] Sand enrolled at Brown University, where he was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship.[5][9]
While he was in college, he spent a semester interning in the Washington, D.C., office of Senator Tom Harkin, a member of the Democratic Party from Iowa.[10] He made his first political donation to Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign, but missed the Iowa caucus because he was modeling menswear in Milan.[11] He also modeled in Paris.[9] Sand graduated from Brown with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2005.[7] He caucused for Barack Obama's presidential campaign in 2008.[11]
Sand enrolled at the University of Iowa College of Law,[7] earning his Juris Doctor in 2010.[6][7][12] In law school, he worked as a law clerk for the Office of the Attorney General in Des Moines, Iowa, and was a summer law clerk at Simmons Perrine Moyer Bergman PLC in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[13][better source needed]
Political career
[edit]Early career
[edit]In 2006, Sand worked as an aide for State Representative Ed Fallon's campaign for governor of Iowa. After Fallon lost the primary election, Sand became the campaign manager for Denise O'Brien, the Democratic Party's nominee for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture.[14][15] While he was on the campaign trail, he met Tom J. Miller, who was Iowa Attorney General at the time.[7]
Attorney General Office
[edit]Miller appointed Sand assistant attorney general in September 2010.[16] Upon joining the attorney general's office, he became the lead prosecutor for the Iowa Film Office tax credit scandal, in which millions of dollars of film tax credits were fraudulently obtained.[17][18][19] After completing the Iowa Film Office case, Sand was recruited by Tom H. Miller, the deputy attorney general, to work in the Area Prosecutions Division, which focuses on prosecuting white-collar financial crimes. Sand prosecuted an investment advisor for deceiving people to invest into the International Bank of Meekamui, an international Ponzi scheme emanating from Papua New Guinea.[20]
Sand also prosecuted the Hot Lotto fraud scandal, in which seven lottery tickets across five states were rigged, with the amount totaling $25 million. Eddie Tipton, the former information security director of the Multi-State Lottery Association, confessed to rigging a random number generator in the largest lottery rigging scheme in American history.[21] Tipton was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2017.[22] After completing the prosecution, Sand resigned from the Attorney General's office so that he could run for office.[21]
State Auditor
[edit]In the 2018 elections, Sand ran for Iowa State Auditor.[16] He was not opposed in the Democratic Party primary election.[23] Sand defeated Republican Mary Mosiman, the incumbent, in the general election[24] 51% to 46%, while Libertarian Fred Perryman received 3% of the vote.[25][26] He became the fourth Democrat elected to be Iowa State Auditor, and just the second in the past 100 years.[27]
Sand was sworn into office on January 2, 2019. At his swearing-in ceremony, he announced that he would have a "tri-partisan" leadership team, with his top three assistants being a Democrat, a Republican, and an independent.[28] As state auditor, Sand developed the Public Innovations and Efficiencies (PIE) program, which awards fiscal efficiency in government.[29] The PIE program inspired Shad White, the Republican state auditor of Mississippi, to develop a similar program.[30][31] Prior to the 2020 presidential caucuses, Sand's endorsement was sought by multiple candidates.[32][33] He did not endorse a candidate, though he did co-host a campaign event in Decorah with Cory Booker that he said did not constitute an endorsement.
After considering a campaign for governor of Iowa against Reynolds,[34] Sand announced in December 2021 that he would run for reelection in 2022.[35] In January 2022, Mary Ann Hanusa, a Republican former state representative, announced that she would run for state auditor.[36] Todd Halbur, a small business owner, defeated Hanusa in the primary election[37] and Sand defeated Halbur in the November 8 general election with 50.1% of the vote.[38]
Senate File 478, a bill that would restrict the powers of the State Auditor, passed the Iowa Legislature in April 2023 and was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds in June.[39] Sand has held multiple press conferences and town halls across Iowa in opposition to the bill, claiming it is targeting him as the only statewide Democrat remaining in Iowa.[40][41] The bill, which was opposed by all Democrats in the Iowa House and Senate along with six House Republicans,[42] has been opposed by the National State Auditors Association, the American Institute of CPAs, and former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker.[41]
Investigations and audits
[edit]From 2011 to 2019, Jeffrey Dworek, a Metro Waste Authority (MWA) director of operations defrauded the company for over $2 million by billing services not rendered to subcontractors he owned.[43] He sent money to Lemar Programming Company, International Telemetry Technologies and Britad Enterprises and deposited the money in his own accounts.[43] On January 8, 2021 he was sentenced to 4.75 years in federal prison on charges of mail fraud and was sentenced by Chief District Judge John Alfred Jarvey.[44] This was a joint investigation with the Auditor and the FBI.[44] He was prosecuted by the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa Richard D. Westphal.[44]
From 2019 to 2025, the Auditor's office investigated the Johnson County Conservation Board due to misspent $95,000 by former Conservation Director Larry Gullett and Operations Superintendent Wade Schultz.[45] The Johnson County Conservation Board requested the investigation after finding the mismanagement.[45]
In 2020, an audit conducted by Sand's office found that Governor Kim Reynolds misspent $21 million from the CARES Act on unrelated state contracts rather than on managing the COVID-19 pandemic. The state returned the money to their coronavirus relief fund.[46] Sand alleged Reynolds broke Iowa's law against self-promotion by appearing in a taxpayer-funded video to promote wearing a mask. An Iowa ethics board later found Reynolds did not break any laws.[47] In November 2021, Sand said Reynolds improperly used nearly $450,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to pay salaries for 21 staff members for three months in the last year.[48][49]
In 2022 and 2023, an audit was conducted of the Iowa Judicial Branch, which found $27.6 million was sent to the wrong place and shorted state and local funds.[50] This was caused by an IT error and was fixed but was investigated by the Auditor.[50]
In 2024, an investigation took place at the University of Iowa's Department of Physics and Astronomy's Machine Shop due to Brian Busch depositing $943,634.97 into his personal account instead of the university's accounts.[51][52] It was also revealed that he possibly diverted money from the university to his own business.[51][52] Busch was fired after being placed on paid administrative leave from 2021 to 2024.[51][52] He was then arrested on charges of "First Degree Theft, Tampering with Records, Ongoing Criminal Conduct and First Degree Fraudulent Practice."[52]
In January 2025, Sand concluded an investigation that found over $425,000 was misspent, from 2015 to 2022, by Children and Families of Iowa administrator Jodi Spargur-Tate, with $324,586 been taken by her directly while another $100,000 was distributed to her family.[53][54] The Children and Families of Iowa is funded by the United States Department of Labor and administered by Iowa Workforce Development (IWD).[53][54] IWD asked the auditor's office to initiate the special investigation, after initially being investigated by Children and Families of Iowa.[53][54] No charges have been filed yet, but the findings in the investigation were given to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Polk County Attorney’s Office and the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.[53][54]
In May 2025, Conesville Mayor Tom Van Auken and City Clerk Carol Zuniga raised concerns about a former clerk, Yamira Martinez, misusing funds of $127,000 and asked that the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office investigate.[55][56] After the Sheriff began investigating, the city additionally asked for an audit from the State Auditor.[55][56] In June 2025, Sand concluded that investigation.[55][56] Martinez was arrested by the Muscatine County Sheriff's Office for "two counts of ongoing criminal conduct, two counts of theft, and two counts related to forgery and fraud."[57]
2026 Iowa gubernatorial race
[edit]
On May 12, 2025, Sand announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in the 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election.[1][2][3][4]
He raised $8 million in 2024, $3 million of which came from his wife Christine and $4 million from her parents, Nixon and Nancy Lauridsen.[2][3][4][58] The last $1 million came from 28,000 individual donations.[58] In the first 24 hours of his campaign, he raised over $2 million from individual donations.[58]
On June 16, 2025, Sand announced a "100 Town Hall Tour", holding events in all 99 counties in Iowa plus a second one in Lee County, Iowa, due to their dual county seats of Keokuk and Fort Madison.[59]
Personal life
[edit]Sand and his wife, Christine Lauridsen, met in Des Moines and married in Madison County, on June 2, 2012, and have two sons.[6][60][5]
Christine is the CEO of her family's business Lauridsen Group.[61] The Lauridsen Group began as a creamery, started by Hans Lauridsen, Christine's great-grandfather, and now owns several businesses involved in health and nutrition, having 60 facilities across the world.[61] The company was run by Hans, then his son Walter, then Walter's son Nix and now by Christine.[61]
Sand wrote The Winning Ticket: Uncovering America's Biggest Lottery Scam, a book about the Hot Lotto fraud scandal, with Reid Forgrave, a reporter for The Des Moines Register. The book was published on May 1, 2022.[22]
Electoral history
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob Sand | 147,840 | 80.9% | ||
| Write-ins, overvotes, and undervotes | 34,896 | 19.1% | |||
| Turnout | 182,736 | 100% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob Sand | 660,169 | 50.96% | ||
| Republican | Mary Mosiman | 601,320 | 46.42% | ||
| Libertarian | Fred Perryman | 33,421 | 2.58% | ||
| Write-ins | 458 | 0.04% | |||
| Turnout | 1,295,368 | 100% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob Sand | 145,172 | 91.5% | ||
| Write-ins, overvotes, and undervotes | 13,573 | 8.5% | |||
| Turnout | 158,745 | 100% | |||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Rob Sand | 600,719 | 50.09% | ||
| Republican | Todd Halbur | 597,826 | 49.84% | ||
| Write-ins | 826 | 0.07% | |||
| Turnout | 1,230,416 | 100% | |||
| Democratic hold | |||||
Bibliography
[edit]- Sand, Rob; Forgrave, Reid (2022). The Winning Ticket: Uncovering America's Biggest Lottery Scam. Potomac Books. p. 240. ISBN 9781640123717.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b Tallal, Skylar (May 12, 2025). "Iowa Auditor Rob Sand announces 2026 gubernatorial run". KGAN. Retrieved May 12, 2025.
- ^ a b c Fingerhut, Hannah (May 12, 2025). "Iowa's lone Democratic statewide officeholder Rob Sand announces 2026 bid for governor". AP News. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c Maricle, Kelly (May 12, 2025). "Rob Sand announces run for Iowa governor". WHO 13. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c Luu, Isabella; Sostaric, Katarina; Gerlock, Grant (May 12, 2025). "Democrat Rob Sand jumps into the race for Iowa governor". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Auditor of State Rob Sand". Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Iowa Official Register (2023-2024) (PDF).
- ^ a b c d e f Rodgers, Grant (December 20, 2015). "Meet the man who battles white-collar crime". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Scull, Sarah (August 12, 2021). "State auditor speaks on P.I.E, partisanship and public trust". Creston News Advertiser. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Ember, Sydney (December 7, 2019). "The Bowhunting Influencer of Iowa Democrats". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ Brennan, Paul (May 12, 2025). "Rob Sand, the last remaining Democrat in statewide office, announces his run for governor". Little Village. Retrieved June 25, 2025.
- ^ a b Romano, Andrew (January 19, 2004). "Can the Youth Vote Save Obama?". Newsweek. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Decorah native State Auditor Rob Sand hosts series of town hall meetings". decorahnewspapers.com. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System".
- ^ "24 Oct 2006, 10 - The Muscatine Journal at". Newspapers.com. October 24, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "3 Nov 2006, 4". Globe-Gazette. November 3, 2006. Retrieved August 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Democrat Rob Sand will run for Iowa auditor in 2018". The Des Moines Register. November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ "Dept. head testifies at trial for former Iowa Film Office manager". Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier. August 25, 2011. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "Judge Sentences Producer to 10 Years in Prison for Iowa Film Tax Credit Fraud". iowaattorneygeneral.gov. May 31, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "Filmmaker acquitted on fraud charge in tax credit scandal". dmregister.com. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ "Money adviser gets 20 years in prison for investment scam". Newton Daily News. March 16, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Forgrave, Reid (May 3, 2018). "The Man Who Cracked the Lottery". The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ a b Clayworth, Jason (April 27, 2022). "Lottery scam detailed in Iowa auditor's new book". Axios. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "The Des Moines Register 05 Jun 2018, page A7". Newspapers.com. June 5, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Iowa election 2018 results: Rob Sand defeats Mary Mosiman for state auditor". The Des Moines Register. November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ "Here's who won the races for Iowa's state offices". wqad.com. November 6, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Decorah native Sand elected state auditor". Decorah Newspapers. November 7, 2018. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Rob Sand is second Democratic auditor in over 100 years". KCRG. January 2, 2019. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Decorah native Rob Sand takes oath of office, announces 'tri-partisan' leadership team". Decorah Newspapers. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Golbitz, David (July 28, 2022). "State Auditor Sand talks saving taxpayer money and PIE during Sunset Park visit". The Daily Nonpareil. Council Bluffs, Iowa. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ White, Shad (February 2, 2022). "GUEST COLUMN: New Award Honors Good, Efficient Government". The Vicksburg Post. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Hawk, Emily (April 14, 2022). "Sand: 'I'm interested in public service.'". Oskaloosa Herald. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Lowry, Rich (September 17, 2018). "Top Democrats flock to Iowa to help 'young Robert Mueller'". Politico. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ Masters, Clay (January 12, 2020). "Why The Most Coveted Democratic Endorser In Iowa Isn't Picking Sides". NPR. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Kauffman, Clark (June 14, 2021). "Rob Sand says he's praying for guidance whether to run for Iowa governor". The Gazette. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Gruber-Miller, Stephen. "Democrat Rob Sand to seek reelection as Iowa state auditor, won't run for governor in 2022". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (January 5, 2022). "Republican Mary Ann Hanusa to run against Democrat Rob Sand". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Jett, Tyler (June 7, 2022). "Republican Iowa auditor race goes to Todd Halbur". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ Gruber-Miller, Stephen (November 18, 2022). "Todd Halbur concedes to Rob Sand in Iowa auditor's race". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved November 20, 2022.
- ^ "Gov. Kim Reynolds approves final bills from the 2023 legislative session". June 2, 2023.
- ^ "What does Iowa's taxpayer watchdog lose from new bill? And why he's campaigning to stop it".
- ^ a b Wang, Amy B. (April 29, 2023). "Iowa legislature passes bill restricting state auditor's access to records". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
- ^ "Iowa House votes to restrict state auditor's access to information, ability to go to court". The Des Moines Register.
- ^ a b "State auditor details $2M in 'unsupported, 'improper' disbursements at Metro Waste". December 19, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Jeffrey Dworek Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Metro Waste Authority". January 11, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b "Johnson County responds to state auditor's investigation into conservation department". March 4, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Iowa to return $21 million in CARES funding used on IT infrastructure". Kcci.com. December 14, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Auditor alleges Gov. Reynolds broke self-promotion law with COVID video". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds abused COVID money, State Auditor Rob Sand says". The Des Moines Register. November 15, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ "Kim Reynolds should repay $450K in federal COVID relief, Rob Sand says". The Des Moines Register. March 1, 2022. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Sostaric, Katarina (December 18, 2024). "Judicial branch audit says $27.6 million went to wrong state funds due to IT errors". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c Hendricks, Conner (September 4, 2024). "University of Iowa employee accused of pocketing nearly $1 million". KCRG. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Police arrest former Univ. of Iowa Machine Shop manager accused of pocketing nearly $1 million". KCRG. September 12, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c d Kauffman, Clark (January 30, 2025). "Auditor: More than $400K in public money misspent through state-run program". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Former Children and Families of Iowa program director misspent over $400k, audit finds". KCCI. January 30, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c Hotle, David (June 25, 2025). "Auditor discovers $127K in misspent funds in Conesville; former city clerk arrested". Muscatine Journal. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Iowa auditor's office finds more than $127K in misused funds, improper disbursements by city clerk". KCCI. June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "Former city clerk of Conesville arrested following special investigation from Auditor of State". KCRG. June 25, 2025. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ a b c Smith, Zachary Oren (May 13, 2025). "Rob Sand's governor campaign raises $2.25 million in first 24 hours". Iowa Starting Line. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ^ Tyler, Olivia; Rooker, Amanda (June 16, 2025). "Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand launches '100 Town Hall Tour' across Iowa". KCCI. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
- ^ "Meet Rob Sand". Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ a b c "The Lauridsen Group, Inc". Retrieved June 26, 2025.
- ^ "IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE PRIMARY ELECTION 2018 CANVASS SUMMARY" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 45-48. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ^ "Election Night Tabular Results - November 6, 2018 General Election". Iowa Secretary of State. November 6, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
- ^ "IOWA SECRETARY OF STATE 2022 Primary Election CANVASS SUMMARY" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 45-48. Retrieved March 8, 2026.
- ^ "2022 General Election CANVASS SUMMARY: Auditor of State" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. November 8, 2022. Retrieved November 26, 2023.
External links
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Statewide political officials of Iowa | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| State Senate |
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| State House |
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| Supreme Court (appointed, retained by election) |
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| Authority control databases: National |
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