At long last, U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra confirmed on October 28 that he’s running for governor.

For all of his talk about “taking Iowa to new heights”—and boy, was there a lot of it—the Republican front-runner’s rollout won’t get high marks.

AN UNEXPLAINED DELAY

Feenstra’s timing was odd. The three-term member of Congress announced his new candidacy four weeks into a federal government shutdown, as a quarter of a million Iowans were on the verge of losing food assistance.

The delay would make sense if Feenstra had been wavering on whether to run. Although most serious candidates for Iowa’s statewide or federal offices launched their campaigns in the spring or summer, October isn’t too late to join the fray. (Major party candidates in Iowa have until mid-March 2026 to qualify for the primary ballot.)

But we know Feenstra committed to running for governor long before last week. More than five months ago, he created an exploratory committee and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on statewide television, radio, and digital ads. Already in May, he put a “Randy Feenstra Governor” banner on his Facebook page and added “Republican for Governor of Iowa” to his bio on X (formerly Twitter). The campaign created an account on President Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform in July, using the handle “Randy Feenstra for Governor.”

Also in July, more than two dozen prominent Iowa Republicans endorsed Feenstra for governor, including U.S. Senator Joni Ernst and fellow U.S. House member Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

It’s not as if the candidate has been tied up in Washington. Congressional reporter Jamie Dupree recently pointed out that U.S. House members have worked only 20 days in the past four months. If Feenstra had declared sooner, he could have scheduled lots of campaign events during the August recess and the six weeks since the House last held a floor vote.

Conservative host Simon Conway asked Feenstra during a drive-time WHO Radio interview on October 30, “What took so long?” In high school debate, we would have called this a non-response: “I’ll tell you what. When you’re running for governor, when you want to lead this and take this state to new heights, right? You got to take it very, very, very seriously.” He said he spent the last four months “traveling to every corner of the state” talking to so many people about the “issues and opportunities.”

“Now we have created a vision that we can go out and sell and say, this is what we’re going to do to take Iowa to new heights,” Feenstra added. Apparently, that vision involves making Iowa “the most business and ag-friendly” state, ensuring that kids have a “world-class education,” and providing “quality, affordable and accessible health care.” (It’s not clear how Feenstra plans to do any of those things, since there’s no issues page on the website they’ve had months to build.)

Conway tried to follow up, noting other Republicans have asked, “Where is he?” Feenstra listed a bunch of GOP events he’s attended lately: gatherings in Webster and Jones counties, Ernst’s final “Roast and Ride” in Des Moines, a big fundraiser for Miller-Meeks in Iowa City, and an Iowa Federation of Republican Women convention in West Des Moines.

He said he’s also met with business owners and organizations. “Again, it’s so important to understand how you take this state to new heights. You’ve got to understand.” He argued that every community has different economic and quality of life issues. So “when we become governor,” they can “create policies that are not one size fits all.”

So what did take Feenstra so long?

I suspect the long “exploratory” phase was a convenient way to avoid speaking alongside GOP rivals. In July, he skipped an Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition forum, where other prospective candidates for governor answered questions about abortion, property taxes, eminent domain, and why they would be the most electable Republican. In early October, he didn’t attend a western Iowa rally for property rights. One of the other GOP contenders, Adam Steen, asked that crowd, “Why isn’t Randy Feenstra here? Why isn’t he answering these questions? Where is he?” […] He’s hiding in D.C., he’s hiding in his basement and he’s going to come out with millions of dollars in his campaign.”

Another possible reason for stalling: Feenstra’s team may have been holding out for an endorsement from Trump, which they have not yet landed. (The president weighed in early for U.S. Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson.)

The delay also gave the campaign plenty of time to poll Iowans and test messages about Feenstra and the likely Democratic nominee, State Auditor Rob Sand. We saw some of those talking points in an advertisement released last week.

NOT SPEAKING FOR HIMSELF

Feenstra’s launch video was bizarre on several levels. Watch it, if you haven’t already.

The first thing that struck me: the candidate doesn’t say a word to the camera. The voice you hear is the same man who narrated Feenstra’s earlier ads.

As in “New Heights” from May and “Measuring Up” from June, the narrator repeatedly reminds us that Feenstra is tall. I counted seven such references (“new heights,” “standing tall,” “no tall tale”) in the latest video. Why is that a reason to vote for anyone? Being 6’5″ is a matter of genetics, not some big accomplishment.

While I prefer to see candidates deliver the message directly, I get that not everyone is comfortable in front of a camera. If you’re going to use a voice-over in a political ad, it should at least sound relatable. Many social media commenters remarked that this narrator, who says Feenstra was “born and raised here in rural Iowa,” doesn’t sound like an Iowan or even a Midwesterner. No one could quite place the accent. Texas? Oklahoma?

I sought the opinion of Dr. Dianne Bystrom, director emerita of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. She has conducted and published research on political candidate communication for 35 years.

Bystrom confirmed that this spot is unusual: “Most political advertising campaigns start with an introduction to the candidate that emphasizes their personal story and core values to build an emotional connection with voters. An effective first ad does not usually include a long list of policy positions, but rather creates a clear, memorable impression that makes voters want to learn more.”

She observed, “Candidates speaking directly often aim for a personal, authentic feel that is more effective for positive messages—which is why you often see candidates using their own voice in their launch ads/videos.”

What about that accent? Bystrom told me, “Research on campaign ad voice-overs shows that using a local or regional accent can build a stronger connection with the target audience, leading to greater receptiveness. When the narrator’s voice sounds like the audience, it fosters a connection that can make the audience more receptive to the message.”

FALSE ATTACKS, RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE

Voice-overs are more common in negative ads, Bystrom said. Sure enough, about halfway in, the Feenstra ad pivots to spend more than 30 seconds attacking the Democratic front-runner. The viewer sees black-and-white footage of Sand and hears the following:

It’s no tall tale; it’s simply just true. As our governor, Randy Feenstra will always stand tall. But Rob Sand will say anything to climb the political ladder. [Viewer sees words on screen: “ROB SAND WILL SAY ANYTHING”]

He pretends to be one of us, but secretly calls himself “extremely liberal.” [News clipping from the Brown Daily Herald, 9/24/03, “Sand says he considers himself ‘extremely liberal’]

That’s why he endorsed and chaired Joe Biden’s campaign. [footage of Biden next to footage of Sand], and why radical liberals like Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren endorsed him. [footage of Harris and Warren]

Because the real Rob Sand is a radical liberal. [Words on screen: “The Real Rob Sand Is A Radical Liberal”]

He supported anti-police radicals [footage from Black Livers Matter protests (not in Iowa), words on screen “Supported Anti Police Radicals”], Higher taxes [piggy bank shattered, words on screen “Supported Higher Taxes”], Weak borders [“Supported Weak Borders”], Men in girls bathrooms [“Supported Men in Girls’ Bathrooms”], Sex changes for minors [“Supported Sex Changes for Minors”], and misallocated millions of tax dollars. [“Misallocated Millions of Tax Dollars”]

Now, he’s hiding his record. [“Hiding His Record”]

Liberal liar Rob Sand only sinks low. [“Liberal Liar Rob Sand”]

But Randy Feenstra always stands tall for Iowa. It’s time to take Iowa to new heights, with Randy Feenstra for governor. [switches from black and white footage to images of Feenstra in color]

I’ve rarely seen a launch video go negative, unless it’s for a candidate running against an incumbent. Bystrom agreed: “First ads usually do not attack an opponent, especially at the pre-primary stage of a campaign.”

Almost every hit is false or misleading. I couldn’t find the 2003 article from the Brown University newspaper, in which college student Sand purportedly called himself “extremely liberal.” In Iowa Democratic circles, he isn’t perceived to be on the left wing of the party. I did find some columns Sand wrote for the student newspaper, including one from 2005, sharply criticizing the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed the use of eminent domain to seize property for private projects.

Sand didn’t “chair” Biden’s 2020 campaign; on the date listed in Feenstra’s ad, he was among dozens of current or former elected officials who signed on to “Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Biden—a coalition of more than 50 prominent hunters and anglers.”

Harris and Warren endorsed Sand’s 2018 campaign for state auditor—obviously because they were planning to run for president in 2019.

I don’t recall Sand supporting or endorsing Black Lives Matter protests. He definitely never called for defunding the police. The “source” for that claim is a Newsweek article from August 2, 2021—a story about the state paying $5,000 each to Black Lives Matter protesters whom state troopers unconstitutionally banned from the Iowa capitol in 2020. Sand voted to approve the settlement agreement in his role on the State Appeal Board—as did the other members of that panel.

The “source” for Sand supporting higher taxes was a January 31, 2024 tweet that read, “I’m all for cutting taxes when it makes sense. But our leaders have a responsibility to be honest about what those cuts could mean. More potholes? Less State Patrol officers keeping us safe? What’s it going to be?”

The “source” on weak borders was an August 23, 2021 tweet that linked to a Cedar Rapids Gazette article about Governor Kim Reynolds deploying Iowa personnel to Texas. Sand commented, “Open records requests show Iowa public safety officials said this mission could compromise public safety. […] Gov Reynolds did it anyway.”

The “source” related to trans-bashing claims was a February 24, 2025 tweet in which Sand opposed a wide-ranging bill legalizing discrimination against transgender people.

No one has accused Sand of “misallocating” millions of dollars. The “source” for that claim was a Des Moines Register article from October 2024 about a computer programming error that directed some judicial branch funds to the wrong accounts. Republicans have claimed the State Auditor’s office didn’t act promptly to fix the problem, even though the Reynolds administration knew about it before auditors were informed.

WHY GO NEGATIVE?

WHO Radio host Conway asked Feenstra why he spent so much time in his video going after Sand. Feenstra said, “I tell you what, everybody needs to know the seriousness of Rob Sand. All right? He has called himself an extreme liberal. I mean, he has said it himself, that he’s an extreme liberal. We have to take him for his word on it.”

So what Sand purportedly said as a college student in 2003 is more important than what he’s said and done over two terms as a statewide elected official?

The Sand campaign’s spokesperson Emma O’Brien said in a statement provided to reporters,

Randy Feenstra just spent half his launch video misleading Iowans about Rob Sand, failing to mention a single way he himself will improve Iowans’ lives or the state’s poor rankings. It’s clear Feenstra and the other insiders who have driven Iowa into the ground over the last ten years of one-party rule are worried about Rob’s message resonating with voters across the political spectrum.

O’Brien noted that the Democratic candidate outlined his vision and answered Iowans’ questions at 100 town halls. “For the last six years, Randy Feenstra has hidden from Iowans and failed to pass a Farm Bill, and is now asking for a promotion. Iowans are fed up and ready for a new direction,” she said.

Going negative this early is a sign of weakness. It plays right into one of Sand’s central campaign themes: that we need to get away from mindless partisanship and trying to win elections just by tearing down the other side. It also suggests Feenstra’s internal polling produced alarming numbers for the Republican.

The only published poll we’ve seen for the 2026 governor’s race was by Z to A Research, a firm that has worked for many Democratic campaigns and Democratic-aligned organizations. Their online survey of 1,351 “likely 2026 midterm voters in Iowa” between October 9 and October 13 found Sand leading Feenstra by 45 percent to 43 percent.

In a telephone interview, Z to A founder Nancy Zdunkewicz declined to tell me who commissioned the poll, but confirmed it was not Sand’s campaign. She also clarified that no positive or negative statements were read about the various candidates before the ballot test.

According to the polling memo, “Sand also has a 4-point advantage in terms of strong support (44% strongly support Sand, 40% strongly support Feenstra).” Among self-identified Democrats, 97 percent support Sand, but just 77 percent of Republican respondents back Feenstra. Sand leads among “pure independents” (those who do not vote consistently for candidates from one party) by 62 percent to 14 percent for Feenstra.

AVOIDING TOUGH QUESTIONS

Dealing with the media isn’t Feenstra’s strong suit. The first time I reached out to him for comment in 2017, he told me an easily disprovable lie.

Unlike some members of Congress, he has never held regular news conferences or calls with reporters. And unlike some other statewide candidates, he didn’t schedule full-length interviews with Iowa’s mainstream media outlets ahead of his campaign launch. He gave a “brief interview” to the Des Moines Register’s Brianne Pfannenstiel, and also spoke to Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal, Tom Barton of the Cedar Rapids Gazette, and O.Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa. Those reports indicate he stuck to the same talking points with everyone.

Feenstra occasionally gives interviews to Fox News or other conservative media, where the hosts rarely challenge Republican guests. WHO Radio’s Conway is an exception to that rule—perhaps because he grew up exposed to the more aggressive British style of interviewing politicians.

Conway wanted to know whether Feenstra is up for debating the other Republicans running for governor. “I’ll tell you what, Simon. We’ll be working it out over the next several months and see how that all plays out. My whole focus right now—”

Conway interrupted to object to what he called a “horribly political answer.” He tried again for a yes or no. Feenstra deflected: “I tell you what, Simon. My focus is defeating Rob Sand. That’s my bottom-line focus. And delivering results and taking Iowa to new heights for our great state. That’s gotta be the focus for everyone.”

After the third attempt to get a “straight answer” on whether Feenstra would debate Republican opponents, he got this: “Simon, we are looking at it, and—but I want to say again that all Republicans have got to be focused on defeating Rob Sand. That’s got to be our central focus. I mean, he has said himself that he is an extreme liberal. We’ve got to take him for his word on that. And then, we’ve got to make sure that we take this state to new heights. And that’s what I want to do.”

After ending the interview, Conway told listeners he was “surprised” by what just occurred. “We asked a question three times, which I would have thought was the least controversial thing I could ask him […] And we couldn’t get a yes or no. That’s astonishing to me.”

I wasn’t surprised. Feenstra did take part in a KCCI-TV candidate forum via Zoom before the 2020 primary in the fourth Congressional district, and agreed to one debate with Democratic opponent J.D. Scholten before that year’s general election. But he refused to debate Democrat Ryan Melton in either the 2022 or 2024 campaigns.

He has consistently avoided open town hall meetings, even in Iowa’s reddest counties. It’s one reason he barely managed 60 percent of the vote against a little-known challenger from the right in his 2024 primary.

Like Miller-Meeks, Feenstra prefers telephone town halls, where he doesn’t have to face the public, and his staff can screen out hostile questioners. Invitation-only roundtables (not announced in advance to prevent gate-crashers) are also a favorite.

Unscripted questions limit a candidate’s ability to control the narrative. And Feenstra likes to stay in his comfort zone—to a fault.

NEW HEIGHTS OF REDUNDANCY

Good candidates know how to stay on message. But Feenstra takes canned talking points to an absurd level.

When former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was running for president in 2007, then Senator Joe Biden quipped that “there’s only three things he mentions in a sentence—a noun and a verb and 9/11.” Don’t be surprised if some candidate adapts the joke for Iowa’s governor’s race.

During the latest episode of the “On Iowa Politics” podcast, Jared McNett of the Sioux City Journal said “new heights” came up at least five or six times in the roughly five minutes he talked to Feenstra. Tom Barton of the Cedar Rapids Gazette concurred that the candidate “really leaned in” to the height references.

McNett mentioned that he asked how Feenstra would continue Reynolds’ approach as governor and what he would do differently. The candidate “demurred,” saying he appreciates Reynolds’ time in office “and that he wants to take the state to new heights.” Barton broke in to say that was the very first question he asked in his interview, “and he did the same thing.”

I could spend all day sharing examples from Feenstra’s social media feeds. Check out this October 28 post on Facebook and X/Twitter,

It was great to be in Algona for a roundtable discussion with local leaders, law enforcement, and our agricultural community.

We will take Iowa to new heights by supporting agriculture, defending our farmers, and protecting our rural main streets.

I will always stand tall for Iowa!

A photo from the Algona event shows fewer than a dozen people in the room. Surely others in Kossuth County could have shared valuable insights.

In addition to being tall, Feenstra wants to be known as a “workhorse.” (Note that this “workhorse” who “delivers results” has left tens of millions of dollars on the table by refusing to request earmarked projects for his district.)

It’s not enough for the candidate to repeat the message ad nauseam. Other Republicans have to regurgitate the same stale talking points. The campaign released this statement from Ernst in early July: “Randy Feenstra is a proven conservative who has delivered results for Iowa in Congress, and I know that he will take that same workhorse mentality to Des Moines. […] As Governor, he will grow our economy, stand with law enforcement, and take Iowa to new heights.”

The same week, Miller-Meeks joined the chorus: “Randy Feenstra is a strong and principled conservative who will stand with President Trump and take Iowa to new heights. I encourage Iowans to support proven conservative Randy Feenstra for Governor.”

Normal people don’t talk like that. But that won’t stop Feenstra, or whoever handles his communications.

In an October 31 guest column for the Cedar Rapids Gazette, State Representative Craig Johnson praised Feenstra’s “workhorse mentality,” adding, “Randy Feenstra has a vision to take Iowa to new heights, and that’s what our state needs.”

The campaign posted another endorsement on Facebook on November 1. Raise your hand if you believe State Representative Josh Meggers wrote this himself: “I’m excited to endorse Randy Feenstra for Governor of Iowa because he is a proven conservative who will take our state to new heights. I know that Randy has the workhorse attitude to deliver for Iowa and protect our conservative values.”

During an epic rant posted on Facebook in August, Woodbury County Supervisor Mark Nelson (a Republican) predicted Sand would win the governor’s race in a landslide. Nelson described Feenstra as “the weakest representative that Congressional District 4 has ever seen,” adding that Feenstra is “Running for governor, which hopefully that never happens.”

I’m on record saying it will be difficult for any Iowa Democrat to win a statewide race next year, due to the GOP’s massive voter registration advantage and traditional turnout edge for midterms. But there’s no doubt the 2026 governor’s race is in play.

Sand has already had face to face contact with an estimated 10,000 Iowans at 100 town halls. Meanwhile, as winter approaches, the self-styled workhorse is just now promising, “I’m going to get to every place in this great state […] I want to be very active. I want to listen to the citizens of Iowa and make sure that I can show that I will be a great leader for this state.”

Be sure to tell them you’ll take Iowa to new heights.