The last time Iowa elected a Democratic governor was the last time Rhode Island elected a Republican governor – 2006.
But a Brown University graduate is trying to break the red streak in the Hawkeye State.
Rob Sand, who as state auditor is the only current Democrat elected statewide in Iowa, launched his campaign for the state’s top job last week, and reportedly raised more than $2 million in 24 hours. The race is next year.
Sand graduated from Brown in 2005 before moving back to Iowa for law school. He landed in the state attorney general’s office, where he helped crack one of the largest lottery fraud cases in American history. (There’s a fascinating story in The New York Times on the case.)
Longtime Rhode Map readers might also be familiar with Sand because he helped preview the Iowa caucus with us last year.
The race is seen as an uphill battle for Sand because Iowa has turned deep red since 2012, when President Barack Obama beat Mitt Romney in the state. But Sand has long maintained that Iowans have proven to be more open to voting for Democrats in local races.
Sand is vying to succeed Republican Governor Kim Reynolds, who has routinely been rated as one of the least popular governors in the country, according to polling. She announced last month that she wouldn’t seek a third term.
This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you’d like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.
Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him @danmcgowan.
