Republican businessman Zach Lahn defeated Rep. Randy Feenstra in Iowa’s GOP gubernatorial primary Tuesday, dealing a rare primary loss to President Trump after his late endorsement failed to push his chosen candidate over the finish line.
Mr. Lahn was endorsed by MAHA Action, a political advocacy group dedicated to advancing the agenda of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He also had the support of former Rep. Steve King, who lost his seat in the 4th Congressional District to Mr. Feenstra in the 2020 primary.
“Nobody thought this could be done. We were outspent, opposed by the establishment, told to wait our turn,” Mr. Lahn said at his election night party. “Well, tonight the people of Iowa had something to say about that — that we are not going to wait anymore!”
“They said Iowa doesn’t belong to the political class,” he said. “They said our state does not belong to the lobbyists, special interests, and corporate giants who, for far too long, have had way too much power in our state.”
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, speaks during …
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That result was good news for Democrats, who believe that Rob Sand, the state auditor, could become the first Democrat to win an Iowa gubernatorial race since Chet Culver won the 2006 race and served one term before losing to Republican Terry Branstad in 2010.
For Mr. Trump, the Feenstra loss marked a rare setback.
The president’s endorsement had been a golden ticket in Republican primaries. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton won a decisive victory over Sen. John Cornyn after picking up Mr. Trump’s endorsement. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary after Mr. Trump recruited Ed Gallrein to run against him. And Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — one of seven Republicans who voted to convict Mr. Trump in his 2021 impeachment trial — finished third in his state’s jungle primary and failed to advance, as Trump-backed Rep. Julia Letlow placed first and heads into a June 27 runoff.
Mr. Trump has also been a dominant force in Iowa, easily carrying the state in three straight presidential elections.
Mr. Trump endorsed Mr. Feenstra on Friday in an attempt to energize what had been widely considered a lackluster campaign.
“Randy is MAGA all the way!” he wrote on Truth Social, saying Mr. Feenstra “has delivered strong results for the Hawkeye State.”
“Randy Feenstra has my Complete and Total Endorsement to be the next Governor of Iowa – RANDY WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN,” he said.
The endorsement, however, proved too late to lift Mr. Feenstra, who questioned whether Mr. Lahn embodied Iowa values by highlighting his investment in a sex toy company.
Gov. Kim Reynolds, a Republican, is not seeking re-election.
Mr. Sand, meanwhile, offered an olive branch to Republican voters who did not support Mr. Lahn.
In a video on social media, Mr. Sand cast Mr. Lahn as a carpetbagger, alluding to his relocation from Wichita, Kansas, to his family farm in Belle Plaine, Iowa, in 2023.
“If your candidate for governor didn’t win the GOP nomination tonight, you are welcome here,” he said. “Iowans deserve a leader who lives in Iowa, who has worked for Iowans rather than for insiders, and someone that is committed to serving Iowa families.”
