Zach Lahn, a farmer and businessman, has announced he is switching to the Democratic Party, citing Donald Trump's influence on the GOP. Lahn won Iowa's Republican gubernatorial primary in June, defeating Trump-endorsed candidate Randy Feenstra. However, he now says he cannot support a party that prioritises loyalty to Trump over conservative principles.
Lahn's victory was seen as a rare rebuke to Trump, who had given Feenstra his 'Complete and Total Endorsement'. Lahn won with 38% of the vote to Feenstra's 37.2%. Despite this, Trump has maintained an iron grip on the party, with his endorsed candidates winning in Texas, Indiana, and Kentucky.
In his announcement, Lahn stated: 'I have always put my country and my state before any political party. The Republican Party today is not the party of limited government and fiscal responsibility I grew up with. It is a cult of personality around one man.' He will now challenge Democratic Governor Rob Sand in the general election as a Democrat.
Lahn's campaign had focused on issues like reducing agricultural pollution and banning COVID-19 vaccines. He was backed by the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement. Analysts say his defection could shake up the race, though Iowa has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006.
