Zach Lahn
Republican Nominee for Governor of Iowa
Zach Lahn won the Republican primary and wants to be Iowa's next Governor. Here is what he would do — in his own words and his own platform, with a source on every line.
Would Pull COVID Vaccines Off the Market and Gut School Vaccine Rules
At a January 2026 debate, Lahn said he would pull every COVID vaccine off the Iowa market and end the childhood vaccine requirements for school that protect kids from diseases like measles and polio.[1] His reasoning: “We cannot trust the medical establishment in Iowa anymore.”[1]
Would Strip Teachers of Their License Over “Political” Speech
Lahn's platform promises that if a teacher is “caught pushing a political agenda in the classroom, their teaching license will be revoked, period.”[3] It is a threat to punish Iowa's educators for their speech.
His Own Private School Follows None of the Rules He Wants for Iowa
Lahn would revoke an Iowa teacher's license over classroom speech — yet the Wichita private school he co-founded, financed by Chase and Annie Koch, does not seek state accreditation and is not required to hire licensed teachers at all, at tuition running $6,500 to $10,000 a year.[6]
A Koch-Network Operative Running as “Just Another Iowan”
Lahn casts himself as a political outsider. But he spent years inside the billionaire Koch brothers' political machine — serving as Montana director of Americans for Prosperity, the Koch-founded advocacy group — and he co-founded a private school that was financed by Chase Koch, the son of billionaire Charles Koch.[4]
Vowed to Keep “Wealthy Donors” Out — Then Took Millions From a Washington Super PAC
On primary night Lahn told supporters: “We're not going to let wealthy donors, out-of-state interests, and political insiders decide the future of our state anymore.”[9] Yet nearly 80% of his roughly $6.4 million haul — about $5 million — came from a single Washington super PAC, the Republican Governors Association's RGA Right Direction.[7]
Voted in Kansas as Recently as 2022 — Registered in Iowa Right at the Deadline to Run
Lahn campaigns as a sixth-generation Iowan, but Kansas voter records show he cast ballots there in 2018, 2020 and 2022, then registered to vote in Iowa on Oct. 17, 2024 — which allowed him to meet the state's two-year residency requirement to run for governor.[8] The Des Moines Register reported that Lahn flew from Iowa to Wichita in his personal airplane 37 times since Oct. 1, 2025.[8] Lahn says he is a full-time Iowan.[8]
Iowa Can Do Better
Zach Lahn faces Democrat Rob Sand for governor this November.[5] An agenda this extreme — on your kids' health, your rights, and your schools — deserves to be seen. Share it, and get involved.
Every Claim, Sourced
Each fact above links to a primary government record, the candidate's own words, or a neutral news report. Numbers correspond to the citations below.
- Radio Iowa — Four GOP candidates for Iowa governor back mRNA vaccine ban (Lahn: pull COVID shots, end school mandates), Jan. 31, 2026
- Radio Iowa — Four Iowa GOP candidates for governor call for 'life at conception' law, Jan. 28, 2026
- Zach Lahn for Governor — official campaign policy platform (abortion & education pledges, in his own words)
- KMUW / Kansas Reflector — Co-founder of Wichita private school contends for Iowa GOP gubernatorial nomination (Koch financing; Americans for Prosperity), June 1, 2026
- Ballotpedia — Zach Lahn (2026 GOP gubernatorial primary result; faces Rob Sand in November)
- The Sunflower (Wichita State University's independent student paper) — Private Wonder school opens at Wichita State: does not seek state accreditation, not required to hire licensed teachers, tuition $6,500 to $10,000; Koch financing & co-founder corroborated by KMUW / Kansas Reflector
- The Cedar Rapids Gazette — National parties pour millions into Iowa governor campaign (RGA-affiliated super PAC about $5M, nearly 80% of Lahn's roughly $6.4M haul); corroborated by Iowa Public Radio, July 21, 2026. Contradicting quote from NBC News.
- KMUW / Kansas Reflector — Kansas voter records: Lahn voted in Kansas in 2018, 2020 & 2022, registered to vote in Iowa Oct. 17, 2024; Des Moines Register: Lahn flew from Iowa to Wichita in his personal airplane 37 times since Oct. 1, 2025; June 1, 2026
- NBC News — Zach Lahn primary-night victory speech, West Des Moines, June 2, 2026 (video): “We're not going to let wealthy donors, out-of-state interests, and political insiders decide the future of our state anymore.”