Democrat Rob Sand calls for prioritizing public safety as property tax growth slows

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand said Tuesday he would work to ensure resources are protected for Iowa law enforcement and other public safety officials if he is elected in 2026.

Sand was joined by law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and other public safety workers at a campaign event at the Des Moines Firefighters Local Four union hall, who spoke about the reasons why they supported the Democrat for Iowa governor in 2026. Sand said as Iowa communities work through the implementation of Senate File 2472, a property tax law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May, the top funding priority “has got to be public safety, firefighters, first responders, police officers, sheriff’s departments.”

“These are the folks that are making sure that when you call 911 there’s somebody who can get there, and get there quickly,” Sand said. “And so that should be that should be the first group of people that we’re listening to, and the first group of people where, even if we’re only a short time into our experience in this new law, if we’re hearing from them something consistently, that’s the first place where we should be willing to listen to that and make changes based on what we’re hearing.”

The Democratic candidate’s comments come as Iowa local governments like Des Moines are preparing to make reductions to account for budget gaps due to the new property tax law.

The event came a day after Sand’s campaign announced a slate of endorsements from 60 Iowans involved in public safety work, including former Attorney General Tom Miller — for whom Sand worked as an assistant attorney general before becoming state auditor — Iowa Professional Firefighters Association President Ryan Hanghian, as well as several county attorneys and county sheriffs.

Former Marshalltown Police Chief Mike Tupper said he met with Sand when the auditor came to Marshalltown at least once a year to speak with members of the community — conversations where Tupper said he “learned firsthand that Rob supports public safety.”

“Public safety is a high priority for him, and he worked it, he lived it,” Tupper said. “He was in the trenches with with law enforcement. He understands law enforcement, and he wants to make sure that we have the safest state in the country. He’s very intentional about building relationships with law enforcement and focusing on public safety, and we’ve all saw his work in the state auditor’s office.”

Des Moines Local 4 Firefighter President Joe Van Haalen thanked Sand for supporting firefighters as they advocated to pass House File 969, a law expanding disability and death benefits for firefighters, emergency medical services responders and law enforcement officers from the current 14 cancers covered to all types of cancer.

“Throughout our work to pass our cancer legislation, Rob was there to offer encouragement and advice, and quite simply, he cared about what we were doing and pushed us forward,” Van Haalen said. “Today, Rob is here to talk about something that affects every Iowan, regardless of where they live or how they vote — keeping our communities safe and making sure that people we depend on in an emergency have the resources, support, and leadership that they need.”

Sand said the cancer coverage law should have been a “20-minute conversation,” and was an example of an issue he would work to move forward if elected governor.

“If you want people to do public service work, they’re willing to sacrifice … the way people do when they run into a burning building, when they move into a situation where they know someone’s got a gun and they’re angry, the least that we can be doing is making sure that the exposure that they have to risk is something that we recognize, respect, and cover,” Sand said. “Because the bottom line is they’re still going to be taking risks. They’re risking life and limb on our behalf. The easiest thing for us to do is to say that if it’s some long- term chemical exposure because of the work that you do, that’s a no brainer. That obviously we should be covering that. So at the end of the day, a lot of this just comes down to having a conversation and listening to people.”

Sand also said he wanted to bring the attitude of public safety and law enforcement work to the governor’s office if elected.

“That attitude that I’m talking about is the one where … you might have a ‘D’ or an ‘R’ after your name on the ballot, but you don’t ask people when they call 911 whether or not they’re a Democrat or a Republican,” Sand said. “You go and you help them out, and it doesn’t matter,  because you’re there to serve the public. And I want that attitude that you find in law enforcement, that you find in public safety, that you find from firefighters across the state, that you find from first responders across the state — I want that attitude to be found in the Capitol building in Des Moines. I am sick and tired of a politics that feels like it’s two private clubs beating up on each other, when fundamentally it is supposed to be about public service, and working together for the good of all and the good of anyone.”

In a Monday news release, Sac County Attorney Ben Smith, a Republican, said he supported Sand for governor because “he has the experience and judgment to keep our communities safe.”

“As a conservative Republican, I won’t agree with Rob on every issue,” Smith said in a statement. “On law enforcement, though, I don’t have to guess where he stands. He’ll fight for the men and women who run toward danger so the rest of us don’t have to, putting public safety ahead of politics.”

Sand is running against Republican Zach Lahn in the general election. Lahn’s campaign announced Tuesday an endorsement from the National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund. In a news release, Dan Capodilupo, a spokesperson for Lahn’s campaign, criticized Sand as a candidate who “likes Gun Control.” Sand hunts using firearms and has regularly said he supports the 2nd Amendment.

“Zach Lahn is a rock solid Second Amendment defender and that’s why the NRA endorsed him today,” Capodilupo said.