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Agriculture Regulation · Gubernatorial Election · Iowa Politics · Vaccine Policy
Zach Lahn, a Republican businessman, entrepreneur, and farmer, secured the Iowa gubernatorial nomination on June 2, 2026, after winning a five-person primary, campaigning on platforms that directly linked rising cancer rates and water quality issues to big agriculture interests in the state.
Lahn aligned himself with Robert Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement and received an endorsement from MAHA Action PAC, though he missed out on President Donald Trump's endorsement, which went to U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra.
His platform also includes banning all mRNA vaccines and pulling COVID-19 vaccinations from the market. Lahn co-founded Homeplace Ventures, investing in agriculture, real estate, and technology, and Wonder, a private school in Wichita reportedly funded by members of the Koch family.
He previously served as Montana state director for Americans for Prosperity, a conservative advocacy group backed by Charles Koch, from 2014 to 2015. Lahn maintains a home in Kansas, flying frequently to see children from previous marriages, an arrangement he states will change if elected governor.