Vance rallies Iowa Republicans in Council Bluffs, backs Lahn for governor
Vice President JD Vance visited Council Bluffs on Friday with a message for Iowa voters just seven weeks ahead of midterm elections: He wants Zach Lahn to be Iowa’s next governor.
Vance spent much of his appearance at the Mid-America Center promoting Lahn, as well as Republican candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District Chris McGowan, while attacking their Democratic competitors and Democrats in general.
Key races in Iowa for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House are seen as some of the most competitive in the country and could help swing control of Congress, the Des Moines Register reported Wednesday.
The Republican potential 2028 presidential candidate argued that November's election would be a choice between what he called “common sense versus pure, unadulterated crazy.”
“Let's send the crazy packing and get them out of Washington, D.C., and get them out of Des Moines,” Vance said.
Vance described Lahn as a farmer and sixth-generation Iowan and said Lahn is the kind of candidate who can protect Iowa farmland and local communities.
Zach Lahn, Republican candidate for Iowa governor speaks during a rally at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
“So this November, let's elect Zach,” Vance said. “Let's get him in the governor's mansion and let's put him to work for the state of Iowa.”
The Iowa Democratic Party responded to the rally in a statement from Chair Rita Hart.
“Another insider D.C. politician is rushing in to prop up Zach Lahn because he has no answer for how he can be a full-time governor when he lives in Kansas,” Hart said.
Hart also criticized Lahn's ties to Gov. Kim Reynolds' policies and the Trump administration's positions on tariffs and the war in Iran.
“After years of underfunded public schools, farm bankruptcies, and record cancer growth rates, Iowans are ready for change, but Lahn is only offering more of the same,” Hart said.
Vance repeatedly returned to agriculture during his remarks, including when he introduced Clint Gochenour, a Harrison County farmer who appeared on stage with his family.
Gochenour went to school with Lahn and the two remain close friends. Gochenour also hosted a recent town hall with Lahn.
Zach Lahn pitches farm diversification, local food markets at town hall outside Treynor
Gochenour raises corn, soybeans and hogs near Silver City. Vance credited Trump administration policies with helping the family expand its farming operation.
“Our job is to make sure that when their turn comes to take over that farm, it remains a place where a family can actually make a living,” Vance said.
Vance also endorsed McGowan, calling him “exactly the kind of Republican we need in Washington.”
Chris McGowan, Republican candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District speaks during a rally at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
McGowan, the Republican nominee for Iowa's 4th District, is running against Democrat Dave Dawson for the seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra.
McGowan urged supporters not to pay attention to the polls, pointing to the 2024 presidential election as an example. He said a Des Moines Register poll released the weekend before Election Day showed Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump by 3 percentage points, while Trump carried Iowa by more than 13.
“Ignore the polls,” McGowan said. "Do not listen to what they're trying to sell you."
Vance's remarks later moved into a broader defense of the Trump administration's actions on jobs, immigration, prescription drug prices, taxes and agricultural policy.
He also spent significant time criticizing Sand and other Democrats. The vice president argued that Democrats had moved away from the party he remembered from his childhood.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks during a rally at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
“This is not FDR's party, as much as we might wish it was,” Vance said. “It's not JFK's party, ladies and gentlemen. It's not even Bill Clinton's party.”
He accused Sand of presenting himself as a moderate while holding positions Vance said were further to the left.
Vance criticized Sand over his position on transgender athletes, pointing to what he described as Sand's past opposition to legislation restricting transgender girls from competing in girls' sports. He also criticized Sand over school locker-room policies, children's books addressing nonbinary parents and polyamorous families, abortion, gun rights and environmental policy.
“Don't judge Rob by what he says on well-produced TV advertisements,” Vance said. “Judge Rob Sand by what he has done in 20 years.”
Sand's campaign rejected the criticisms leveled at him during the rally, saying Sand's record as state auditor has shaped how voters view him.
“After seven years as State Auditor and nearly 900 public town halls across Iowa, Iowans know Rob Sand as an independent watchdog who holds both parties accountable, protects taxpayer dollars, and fights to lower costs,” said Maddie Moher, Sand's campaign press secretary.
Moher accused Lahn of making false claims about Sand and said Vance's appearance did not change the campaign's view of the attacks.
“Outsourcing his talking points to another Washington politician doesn't make them true,” Moher said. “Iowa voters know the leader who will actually show up and work for them is Rob Sand.”
Vance's appearance was his first publicly announced visit to the Omaha Metro since August 2024, when he visited Omaha for a fundraiser and an event with Republican activists as Donald Trump's running mate. It was his first trip to Iowa since campaigning with 3rd Congressional District Republican Zach Nunn in May.
People dance with signs during a rally at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, on Friday, Sept. 18, 2026.
Lahn's speech took a different approach, focusing on what he described as the preservation of American and Iowa culture. He emphasized family, faith and community.
Lahn said he wants the next generation to be able to remain in Iowa and prosper. He said his campaign is focused on protecting family farms, improving public education and addressing cancer rates.
“We're actually not here for politics,” Lahn said. “We are here for a very different purpose. We are here to defend the culture of the state and the country that we love.”
Lahn praised the vice president for his political work dating back to the publication of his book, “Hillbilly Elegy.” He said he "understands America” and "our culture."
Republican candidate for governor Zach Lahn talks about addressing Iowa's economy during a campaign event Monday, Sept. 14, 2026 in Alexander, Iowa.
Asked after the event about recent polling showing many Iowans believe the state is headed in the wrong direction, Lahn pointed to the state's affordability and said there are still areas where he wants to make improvements.
Lahn also defended the sometimes combative tone of Vance's speech, saying voters deserve to know candidates' real views.
“I think people running for office need to tell the truth about where they stand,” Lahn said.
Andrew Smith of the Omaha World-Herald contributed to this report.
Photos: Vice President JD Vance and Iowa candidates speak at Council Bluffs rally
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U.S. Vice President JD Vance stumps for Iowa candidates ahead of midterms.
