Democrat Taylor Wettach was leading Republican Lt. Gov. Chris Cournoyer by a slim margin early Wednesday in the contest to replace Rob Sand as the state auditor.
With 96% of the vote counted, the Associated Press had yet to declare a winner. Unofficial results showed Wettach had claimed 50.9% of the vote, to 49.1% for Cournoyer.
Wettach had campaigned on a pledge to continue the work of Sand, who opted not to seek reelection and instead run for governor.
At the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox in August, Wettach said his career as a lawyer would aid him in holding people and institutions accountable even with limitations that Republican state lawmakers have been placed on the auditor’s office.
“I have experience and understanding to look into those financials, and then as a lawyer, I have experience and understanding to make sure that where there are problems that we do find, we can do something about it,” Wettach said. “So I’m excited to take that background and leverage it.”
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In his work as an attorney, Wettach said he’s negotiated complex financial matters involving millions of dollars and has worked “with some of the best auditors in the country.” He said he resigned from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, his former firm, in protest of pressure from the Trump’s administration to “cut a deal to do $125 million worth of free work in support of their priorities.”
The state auditor’s office is supposed to be an “independent watchdog” in service of Iowans and their tax dollars, Wettach said, a role he added Sand has filled successfully despite efforts from the state to restrict access the office has to information.
Wettach has indicate he intends to continue Sand’s support for the Public Innovation Efficiencies program, as well as Sand’s efforts to maintain the auditor’s independence.
Wettach said one of his priorities is addressing Education Savings Accounts program that routes public money to non-public schools. He also wants to support the auditor’s efforts to assist citizens fighting corruption in rural areas.
Cournoyer, currently serving as Iowa’s lieutenant governor under Gov. Kim Reynolds represented Senate District 35 in the Iowa Legislature from 2019 to 2024. Previously, she served as a member of the Pleasant Valley School Board and as a reserve sheriff’s deputy in Scott County. She holds a bachelor’s in computer science from the University of Texas.
Cournoyer has 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.
Cournoyer has been critical of Sand’s term as auditor, arguing he was using the office to pursue a politically driven agenda. Sand and Democratic lawmakers have said Republican-backed legislation has curtailed the auditor’s office access to information and ability to go to court.
This story is provided by States Newsroom, a nonprofit state news network and Blox Digital content partner.
