The MAHA Profile: Zach Lahn, the Iowa Candidate for Governor, Is Championing the MAHA Agenda

MAHA Action supports Republican Zach Lahn’s bid to become Iowa’s next governor because he advocates for policies that improve Iowans’ health. Will a victory spark broader conservative embrace of MAHA?

Zach Lahn, the MAHA Action-backed candidate for governor of Iowa, is a sixth-generation Iowan who purchased his great-grandparents’ 155-acre homestead in 2014 to raise organic oats and other crops (and his young family) regeneratively. He’s been campaigning tirelessly on a “Make Iowa Healthy Again” platform that includes support for Iowa farmers, prevention of out-of-state ownership of Iowa land, and boosting education opportunities.

Lahn has also proposed procuring 80% of public school meals from Iowa farmers, and pledges on his website to “break up monopolies, defend independent farms, and demand accountability from corporations who harm our people.”

Those are fighting words.

Lahn’s impact on Iowa, and the nation, has already been seismic. On June 2, he defeated establishment Republican congressman, Randy Feenstra, in Iowa’s gubernatorial primary, Feenstra was endorsed by President Trump. It didn’t matter. Conservative voters favored a MAHA health and regenerative farming policy platform, in America’s No. 1 corn-producing and No. 2 soy-producing state, which portends well for other Republicans who, over the next four weeks, before their primary elections, lean into MAHA

With passion and tireless commitment to the MAHA mission, Lahn has steadily won over his detractors, who often resort to character assassinations rather than engage on issues. Lahn has challenged Big Ag and Big Pharma by criticizing their products, like glyphosate, and claiming they have sickened Iowans.

But, in the race for governor, he’s no shoo-in. He’s up against State Auditor Rob Sand, and the deep-pocketed Iowa Democratic apparatus supporting him. On July 14, Sand reported nearly $18 million in cash on hand, compared with Lahn’s $1 million. It helps to have rich relatives. $11.52 million in campaign contributions come from his wife and in-laws, who operate an agribusiness corporation.

The polls

Midterms are notoriously difficult to predict, and independent voters may also feature as a wild card in 2026. Still, most polls show Sand with a slight edge over Lahn, but a late-August Iowa State Fair straw poll showed Lahn winning 64% among participating fairgoers versus 36% for Sand.

The Lahn campaign asserts that its messaging continues to attract broad bipartisan support, pledging that the “Lahn Train” is not slowing down.

For his part, Lahn attributes his success to the MAHA messaging he chose to prioritize as a conservative candidate, and pledges that the “truth” his campaign is focusing on in the general election has not deviated from his focus throughout the primary: “talking about the big agricultural conglomerates that are extorting our farmers, talking about clean water and how we need to lower our cancer rates….”

Lahn calls his MAHA-inspired principles an “Iowa First” platform, putting human health above corporate greed. It’s a refreshing message from a conservative in a strongly conservative, row-cropping state. Lahn is not just running for office: he’s moving the regenerative needle into the heartland of conventional agriculture.

MAHA grassroots keeps growing

Lahn’s embrace of the MAHA movement’s principles reflects a broader, grassroots embrace, by Americans from diverse backgrounds, of the simple premise that healthy, local food is a sensible counterpoint to the nation’s chronic disease epidemic.

If Lahn manages to capture the governor seat, it will be a huge victory for the MAHA movement that will resonate across the country. Just a few years ago, the very idea of an Iowa Republican running for governor on a platform of opposing agribusiness and reducing chemical exposures would have seemed laughable. Leigh Merinoff, a MAHA Action board member who leads several key initiatives for the organization, says she’s excited about Lahn’s success so far.

“Zach’s campaign reflects many of the core priorities of the MAHA movement: stronger families, thriving farms, cleaner food and water, and reduced exposure to unnecessary chemicals,” Merinoff said. “His focus on strengthening local agriculture, protecting health, and supporting the people who produce our food is closely aligned with the issues MAHA Action has worked to elevate nationally.”

Lahn has demonstrated his resolve in the face of adversity, and, four weeks out from the midterms, his MAHA message has prevailed over his better-funded competition.

Iowa is one of the most important agricultural states in the nation. Under a Governor Zach Lahn, it can become a national leader in MAHA policy. That’s where you come in.

[Please consider donating to Zach Lahn’s campaign, and tell others about his pivotal run on Instagram, Facebook, and other social media platforms.]