Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer wins GOP primary race for state auditor

Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer won Tuesday’s Republican primary for state auditor late Tuesday, receiving party’s nod to reclaim the office that has been held by a Democrat, Rob Sand, for the past seven and a half years.

Cournoyer had claimed 54% of the vote over Iowa County Supervisor Abigail Maas, who had 46% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s office, with 99% of the vote reported.

If she holds on to win the primary, Cournoyer will now face Democrat Taylor Wettach, a Muscatine lawyer, in November’s general election.

Cournoyer has served as lieutenant governor for Gov. Kim Reynolds since 2024, having been appointed to the position after the resignation of former Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg. Previously, she had served as a state senator representing Iowa Senate District 35. With Reynolds opting not to seek reelection, and with Sand running for governor, the position of state auditor was seen as an opportunity for Cournoyer to fill the only statewide elected position currently held by a Democrat.

The LeClaire Republican announced her campaign for auditor last year, accusing Sand of using the office for political purposes by pursuing audits of programs like the state’s Education Savings Account program, which provides public funding for private school tuition and associated costs.

Cournoyer promised that as auditor she would prioritize “transparency, efficiency, and results over headlines and partisanship.” She called her campaign an effort to secure “the next critical victory for Iowa conservatives” and said she had dedicated her entire career to stopping government waste and reducing the associated burden placed on Iowa taxpayers.

“I will bring that same iron-clad fiscal discipline to the auditor’s office and support our Republican legislature in reducing the property tax burden,” she said.

In her campaign, Maas, a self-described farmer and business owner, promised to “bring real-world experience and common sense to the job.”

In addition to serving two terms on the Iowa County Board of Supervisors, Maas, 34, has also served on the Iowa Municipalities Workers Compensation Association Board. She argued that her experience in working on local-government budgets made her the strongest candidate to  identify waste, fraud and abuse as state auditor.

While campaigning, she said that if elected she’d attempt to implement a statewide financial software system, and would work with local governments to reduce costs and bring down Iowans’ property taxes.

“Property taxes in Iowa outpace income taxes by over a billion dollars,” Maas said. “We can’t just treat the symptoms — we need to dig into the costs driving local spending.”

Prior to Tuesday’s primary, Cournoyer won the support of many high-profile Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst and State Treasurer Roby Smith. Maas was backed by several state lawmakers including Reps. Samantha Fett and Brooke Boden, Sens. Sandy Salmon, Kevin Alons and Jesse Green — as well as Steve Deace, a conservative talk show host.

In campaign finance reports filed with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board for Jan. 1 through May 14, Cournoyer led in fundraising with $55,290, while Maas raised $38,915.