After a decade of defeats, some Iowa Democrats are changing the way they talk to voters

CRESTON — Skip Kenyon liked what he heard from Rob Sand.

A retired lawyer from Creston, Kenyon said he found himself in total agreement with Sand, who talked about his faith, led the crowd in singing “America the Beautiful,” praised law enforcement and bad-mouthed the Democrat-led states of California and New York.

Sand also railed against the country’s two-party political system that is dominated by Democrats and Republicans.

Rob Sand is the Democratic Iowa State Auditor who is running as a Democrat to be Iowa’s next governor.

Kenyon voted Republican in the last election but came to hear from Sand — along with more than 100 others — on an early August weekday afternoon in this Union County seat of roughly 7,500.

“I agree with him 100 percent. I think he hit the nail right on the head,” Kenyon said after hearing Sand speak for about an hour inside a Creston bar and grill. “The fact that our political system is broken …

“It’s time to get past Republicans versus Democrats and figure out what it takes to fix these problems”

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In Webster City, Dawn Butler was one of a much smaller number of people — eight — who came to a local restaurant to see Nathan Sage, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate who regularly becomes emotional and worked up during his campaign events, frequently swears, and takes pride in being described as looking and sounding like MAGA despite his “Democrat with a capital D” beliefs.

Butler donated to Sage’s campaign after listening to him.

“I like the fact that he cursed,” Butler said. “That’s what I want to see. I want to see my candidates be almost just as mean as Republicans are. Because being nice is getting nowhere and it’s time to step that up.”

Skip Kenyon and Dawn Butler are examples of the kinds of Iowa voters Democrats in the state are trying to win back after the party has largely suffered a string of electoral defeats over the past decade.

Starting with the 2014 elections, Iowa Democrats have lost to Republicans a U.S. Senate seat, two U.S. House seats, and their majority in the Iowa Senate.

Iowa looked like a purple state before that 2014 election, with an even split in its Congressional delegation and split control of the Iowa Legislature. Now, the state’s Congressional delegation is entirely Republican and the GOP has legislative supermajorities and full control of the state lawmaking process.

Perhaps Iowa voters’ message has been received. The Democratic candidates who are running in the state’s 2026 elections have been campaigning throughout this summer, and some of them sound different from what might be expected.

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Talking to Iowans a little differently

Sand has been conducting a 100-stop town hall tour of the state’s 99 counties. In addition to using patriotic music, he starts the events by inviting a show of hands for registered Republican, Democratic and no-party voters. He then decries the two-party political system and explains that he registered as a Democrat mostly so he could vote in primary elections, and the Democratic Party was the one with which his values more closely identified. He talks about hiring Republicans in the state auditor’s office and auditing Democrats.

“I really don’t like the idea of just thinking a thing because other people think it. I want to think for myself,” Sand said during a campaign event in Knoxville, during which roughly 100 people squeezed into a small coffee shop. “That’s why I’m a Democrat. I picked the Democratic Party because of my faith. Jesus is for the little guy, and I think the Democratic Party is for the little guy, too.”

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Sand is one of two Democrats running in Iowa’s open-seat gubernatorial campaign; the other is Julie Stauch, a West Des Moines consultant and campaign veteran.

Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek re-election next year; four GOP candidates are running in that party’s primary.

Sand’s talk of politics that do not adhere to the two major parties resonates with many of the Iowans who come to his town halls.

In Creston, Roxanne Carroll called Sand “inspiring,” and Jon Carroll also expressed his appreciation for Sand’s criticism of a political system dominated by two parties. In Knoxville, Heather Woolridge described Sand as “refreshing.”

“I like that he’s willing to work with everyone. He has no bias,” Woolridge said after seeing Sand there. “That’s what’s refreshing.”

In addition to raising his voice and swearing, Sage has placed a heavy focus on the economy. He talks about growing up poor in Mason City — telling a story of his father revealing one year that the family could not afford to buy him presents for his birthday — and casting incumbent politicians as beholden to political money and out of touch with everyday Iowans.

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Sage, a former radio journalist and chamber of commerce leader from Indianola, is one of five Democrats running in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate campaign. The others are state legislators Zach Wahls of Coralville, Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, J.D. Scholten of Sioux City, and Des Moines School Board leader Jackie Norris.

(Editor’s note: Scholten announced Monday, Aug. 18, after this story published, that he is withdrawing from the U.S. Senate campaign.)

Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst has not yet declared whether she will run for a third, six-year term, but earlier this year hired a campaign manager.

At his Webster City event, Sage said laws do not work for people “because at the end of the day, (lawmakers) don’t give a crap.”

“They’re more worried about the billionaires and the corporations that back them than they are about the people they’re supposed to represent,” Sage said. “I think what we need in this world is working class candidates that can stand up and talk about working class issues.”

That economic message — and Sage’s expression of his eagerness to “fight” for Iowans — resonated with Butler. She also said she likes that they are close in age — she is 43 and Sage is 40 — and joked that it helps that Sage is a fellow fan of the heavy metal band Slipknot.

“Anybody that is willing to fight for that, especially from my generation, I want to be a part of that,” Butler said.

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Sage and Sand are not the only Democrats speaking to voters in a new way this year.

Wahls, who is 34, makes it a habit to note that he has taken on leadership in his own political party.

“I’ve got some scars to show for it,” he said recently while at the Iowa State Fair, referring to his being removed by his colleagues as leader of the Iowa Senate Democrats in 2023 after he fired two longtime staffers who, he said, did not share his vision for the caucus.

“The two things that we keep hearing the most about: how to control costs (and) how to control corruption and the fact that you now have a government that’s been totally bought and paid for, a broken establishment of both parties,” Wahls said. “A lot of folks are frustrated with that. They want to see real change and they’re not sure that they’re going to get it with the current folks who are there.”

Scholten at a recent event said, “Too many of our leaders in the party have lost touch with the people.”

Rita Hart, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said Democrats learned from the 2024 elections that voters want to hear most about the economy, and that she believes in 2026 Democrats will be able to make the case that things are difficult, financially, for the average Iowan and American.

“That is not only what the voters have told us, but it’s the reality of the lives that people are living, that things are too expensive, that people are not able to keep up,” Hart said, pointing to specific issues like the cost of housing and child care.

“There’s so many things that are against the average working person, working family that’s trying to get ahead, and so that has got to be our focus. I think that that is clear,” Hart said. “And I think that what we have got to regain as Democrats is that we have always been the party for the working families. We are the party that has always stood up for union rights, for making sure that people get a living wage, that it’s about the people in the middle that make the difference.”

Ruben Gallego, a Democratic U.S. senator from Arizona, was in Iowa recently to help Democrats here raise concerns about federal Republicans’ tax and spending legislation that included personal income tax reductions, boosted funding for border security and immigration enforcement, and reductions in future Medicaid spending, among many other budget and policy items. Gallego said Democratic candidates should make an effort to hear from more working class voters.

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“Do your best to just try to understand what these men and women are going through. Right now it is so difficult for them just to make ends meet,” Gallego said.

“There was this implicit contract that we had with Americans forever, which is, work a good job, keep your nose clean, you’re going to be able to buy a house, have a future, live a good life, and your kids are going to do that,” Gallego said. “And right now, a lot of Americans don’t feel that, and I think a lot of politicians aren’t matching or understanding that real energy and actually, to some degree, some level of personal depression that people feel.”

Gallego said he believes Democrats in 2024 made a mistake by trying to tell Americans that the economy was in a good place under Democratic former President Joe Biden rather than empathizing with their frustration.

“Our Democratic message was, ‘Things are getting better.’ You can’t say that to people when they’re living off credit cards. You can’t say that to people who are working double shifts just to make sure they can make the rent and when their older kids are still at home because they can’t afford their own apartment,” Gallego said. “And I think Democrats (should) try to laser focus on figuring out what’s going on there, what we should do to fix it, and at least understand and relate to them.”

Some rural voters feel abandoned by Democrats

Some rural Iowa Democrats say the party needs to spend more time in small towns, listen more closely to residents and take bolder stances if it hopes to win back voters in those communities.

Suzan Erem was among a small group of a dozen Democratic voters who sat in folding chairs in the basement of the Tipton Public Library during a July 23 listening session organized by the Iowa Senate Democratic Caucus to provide Iowans the opportunity to discuss the issues impacting their lives.

The 61-year-old Eastern Iowa progressive activist from West Branch says the state’s Democratic Party is failing to connect with rural voters, leaving many feeling isolated and reluctant to speak openly about their political views.

“People out here feel very alone, you know, they're scared,” she said.

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Erem — who serves as board secretary of the Iowa Farmers Union and helped form a local Indivisible chapter — said Democratic leaders rarely visit small towns or ask residents about their experiences.

“In rural Iowa, we don’t even see Democrats,” she said. “Democrats are afraid to speak up, and the Democratic Party never shows up. We never see any Democratic leadership come into our rural areas and listen to what's going on here. … What we see is candidates coming in and telling us about themselves and telling us what we should be worried about and what we care about.”

She criticized party candidates for delivering “algorithmic” speeches instead of tailoring their message to local concerns.

“Stop asking us for something before you give us something,” Erem said. “The least you could give us is enough respect to ask about our stories.”

The activist said many rural Democrats are wary of publicly showing support for their party, citing fears of backlash from neighbors or customers in politically conservative communities.

She also faulted the party’s messaging, describing it as reactive and centered on fundraising appeals. She said Iowa Democrats, instead, need to focus on organizing efforts that address the real, everyday issues facing rural communities — such as rising cancer rates, underfunded public schools, nitrate contaminated waters and low wages — rather than relying solely on national talking points or fundraising appeals.

“The party has no vision,” Erem said. “If you look at their Facebook ads, it's all, ‘Hey, this happened, give us money. Hey, that happened. Give us money. Hey, Joni Ernst says we're all going to die. Give us money.’ What the heck kind of organizing is that? You organize around what you are and what you see in the world.”

Others expressed frustration over limited grassroots engagement outside election seasons, as well as difficulty attracting young voters who feel the party is disorganized or unwelcoming and reliance on Facebook over platforms like TikTok or Reddit to reach broader audiences.

They asked for more accessible talking points, regular updates and better rebuttals to Republican narratives, saying they want more than just fundraising emails — they want substantive information and reasons to engage.

Erem described the party as “scared to take any real vision and run with it,” urging leaders to be more assertive on policy positions.

She said Democrats should be “fearless advocates” for working people, women, children and young families in rural areas. That includes pushing for policies such as a $20 an hour minimum wage to ensure that rural workers can support their families and communities, stronger unions, stricter water quality rules, and more quality job opportunities in rural areas beyond low-wage service jobs.

“We know y'all want us to vote, but you gotta give people outside this room reason to vote,” Erem said.

Since forming in early 2024, the local Indivisible group has organized parades, marches and social gatherings, distributed immigrant rights information, written weekly columns in local newspapers, and taken constituents to legislative offices in Davenport. Erem said the goal is to keep organizing year-round around issues like clean water, affordable education and rural economic development.

“We don’t want to be the kind of Democrats who only show up at election time,” she said. “The issues are always there — the river is filthy, the people are poor, the parents are getting nickel and dimed in schools with activity fees and materials.”

Several attendees warned that national talking points often overshadow rural issues, creating a disconnect. “Show up and listen” was a recurring theme, with speakers stressing that long-term trust will come from consistent, face-to-face engagement in rural communities year-round.

Longtime Democrat Jeanette Wigim of rural Cedar County said the party must do more than fundraise — it must articulate a clear vision for the future and engage younger voters.

“The Democratic Party has not been good at creating a vision for what they can do and what they believe in and where they want us to be,” Wigim said. “And so all we get are letters saying, ‘Give us money.’ I'm not going to give them money until I know the vision they want and the vision they have.”

The 69-year-old retired nurse recalled decades of political involvement, including serving as vice chair of the Johnson County Democrats in the 1980s and working on multiple local campaigns.

Wigim said Iowa Democrats need fighters with a clear, actionable vision for social and economic justice, who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo and advocate for the needs of vulnerable Iowans.

She praised candidates like Sage for speaking candidly, even if it makes people uncomfortable — “because it's that discomfort that's going to make the (political) pendulum swing,” back in Democrats’ favor, she said — and acknowledged Scholten’s experience running campaigns in deep-red districts.

Events like last month’s listening session “helps in the sense that at least you know there are politicians out there who are willing to come and listen,” Wigim said. “… I have faith that these politicians will go back and talk and come back to us with their plans.”

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Researching Democratic messaging

Democratic candidates are not the only ones in their party trying to find new ways to connect with voters. Consultants and campaign veterans also are working on cracking the political code.

Nationally, the Working Class Project is conducting focus groups with working class voters in two dozen states, tracking voter sentiment on major issues, and using what they learn to share research, insights and recommendations, according to its website, “to be more successful in appealing to this critical segment of Americans who will shape the future of American politics.”

The project is led by former New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the liberal super PAC and opposition research organization American Bridge 21st Century.

Closer to home, former Northwest Illinois Democratic Congresswoman Cheri Bustos partnered with Western Illinois political science professor and radio host Robin Johnson on a report that highlights 22 Democrats who in recent years have won close elections, often in working-class districts.

The 45-page report is titled, “Democrats Who Win Working-Class Districts, A road map to winning by those who’ve won,” and features three Iowa Democratic state legislators: Iowa Sens. Mike Zimmer of DeWitt and Tom Townsend of Dubuque, and Iowa Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs, who now is also running in the Democratic primary for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat.

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The report highlights Democrats’ struggle in competitive, working-class districts — defined as a district with having fewer college-educated residents than the national average of 35 percent with an election where the winner earned less than 60 percent of the votes — and how the candidates featured in the report won in their districts.

The report focuses on 10 states: Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In those states’ competitive, working-class districts as defined by the report, only six Congressional districts and fewer than 10 percent of state legislative districts are represented by Democrats, according to the report.

“The Democratic brand struggles with working-class voters, many of whom no longer recognize the party’s platform,” the report says. “Party messaging often feels convoluted and disconnected, relying on poll-tested language that alienates working-class communities. Candidates succeed when they are authentic, share values with voters, and have deep roots in the communities they seek to represent.”

Some common themes from the successful Democratic candidates who offered their perspective for the report were working hard to reach as many voters as possible and focusing on issues that matter the most to the most people.

“I focus on issues that apply to everyone,” Turek said in the report. “Virtually everyone works and needs a paycheck. Same for health care. Same for education. Same for the air we breathe and water we drink. What you don’t see are any culture war issues or identity politics.”

Republicans are paying attention

The apparent shift in tone from some Iowa Democrats has caught the eye of Republican candidates running in Iowa’s 2026 elections, especially in regard to the gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand.

Bob Vander Plaats, the president and CEO of the politically influential Christian conservative Family Leader organization, recently while speaking to a meeting of a suburban Des Moines Republican group called Sand “a compelling Democratic candidate.”

“Churchgoer, gun-toter, state auditor, taxpayer’s watchdog. Sounds a little bit like us, right?” Vander Plaats said during a meeting of the Westside Conservative Club at The Machine Shed restaurant in Urbandale. “And he’s going to have this common sense message as well.”

Steve Scheffler, president of the Christian conservative Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition, offered a similar and more stern warning at a recent event that featured three of the four Republicans running for governor. Scheffler called Sand “a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”

“I will tell you, as sure as I’m standing here, that I believe he is more dangerous than AOC (Democratic New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez) and (Democratic Texas Congresswoman) Jasmine Crockett because he’s pretending to be something he’s not,” Scheffler warned the crowd gathered at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event.

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And Eddie Andrews, a state legislator from Johnston and one of the Iowa GOP’s four gubernatorial candidates, said Democrats are moving their political dialogue “to the middle.”

“The truth is that’s exactly where the other party is taking the fight: right in the middle,” Andrews said.

Republican Party of Iowa chairman Jeff Kaufmann, in a statement to The Gazette, said he believes Iowa voters will not be swayed by Democrats’ change in campaign tone.

“Democrats can slap new slogans on campaign T-shirts, but Iowans know the truth: their party is in free fall because of their failed policies, and no amount of rebranding can fix that,” Kaufmann said in the statement. “Whether it’s Rob Sand or Nathan Sage, they all support the same platform of higher taxes, bloated government, open borders, and woke social agendas.

“They might change the message, but the agenda hasn’t changed one bit. If they actually believed in Iowa values, they wouldn’t be running as Democrats.”

Gazette Deputy Bureau Chief Tom Barton contributed to this report.

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

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