Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand calls for term, age limits on elected officials

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand told reporters Thursday he believes issues like term limits and age limits for elected officials and mandatory prison sentences for stealing tax dollars can gain bipartisan support.

Sand, currently the state auditor, released his “Accountability for All” plan Monday. This agenda includes multiple proposals aimed at addressing financial misconduct in government, such as setting a mandatory prison sentence for people convicted of stealing over $10,000 in taxpayer dollars, and banning elected officials from stock trading. Sand also advocated for setting new requirements on elected officials, like age and term limits, as well as requiring individuals take cognitive and civics tests to show they are fit to hold office.

Answering questions from reporters Thursday, the Democrat shared potential starting points for discussions on these policies. The age limit for elected officials could match the state’s existing mandatory retirement age of 78 for judges, he said, and a three term limit for statewide elected officials, a limit on 12 years for state lawmakers and a 20-year total time limit across different offices. But Sand said these specific numbers were not the important part of the proposal — he left these proposals open-ended because they would require negotiation with the Legislature to take effect.

“I want to push these issues — how you define them and where you draw the line for age limit is something that I would have to work with the Legislature on,” Sand said. “… These are conversations that can be had among reasonable people. The idea is, I want term limits. I want age limits. Let’s go get them.”

Sand proposals to open or eliminate primaries

The 2026 gubernatorial candidate also proposed changing Iowa’s primary and general elections system. Iowa currently has party primaries, meaning voters must register with a party in order to participate in a primary election. The plan proposed by Sand states, “we should have a single public primary for candidates of all political parties or none at all, from which up to four candidates advance to the general election.”

Republicans criticized the proposal, saying Iowa’s elections are working well under the current system, and that the change could result in confusion for voters and slower election results.

“Rob Sand isn’t trying to fix Iowa’s elections, he’s trying to replace them,” Jady Cichy, a spokesperson for the Iowa Republican Party said. “Iowa already delivers secure elections, voter ID, and fast, reliable results. Sand’s plan trades that for a confusing, untested system that puts all of that at risk. That’s not progress, it’s a step backward.”

Sand said this proposal would allow more independent voters to participate in the state’s election process — a stance he said has bipartisan support.

“The vast majority of Iowans think that independent voters should have an equal voice in our democracy,” Sand said. “The vast majority of Iowans think that if you only have two options, you don’t really have much of a choice. … I think there’s a lot of people in the Legislature that would actually look at that stuff and they say, ‘Yeah, you know, I ran for the Legislature in order to make things better, and those things would make things better. And I know there might be people in my own party that would be upset if I were supporting that. But I’m willing to do it anyways, if we have a governor that’s going to sign the bill.’”

Efforts to limit future governors’ powers

A majority of the proposals introduced are topics that would require changes in Iowa law, not issues that Sand would necessarily be able to enact through executive action if elected governor. Though Sand said he believed there was room for bipartisan collaboration on many of these subjects, some Democrats in the Legislature have said measures being passed this year could allow Republican majorities to refuse to negotiate or find compromises with a potential Democratic governor.

The Iowa Senate Judiciary Committee amended House File 2694, a bill passed by the House, to include language that would provide continuing appropriations in years where the Legislature fails to pass or present a budget before the beginning of the next fiscal year. While Republicans said this language, originally discussed as Senate File 2388, would prevent government shutdowns similar to those happening in Washington, D.C., Democrats said the measure was aimed at allowing the GOP-controlled Legislature to refuse to negotiate with a potential future Democratic administration.

Sand said he believed Republicans’ argument that the legislation was an effort avoid shutdowns was a “red herring.” The state has not previously failed to pass budgets even under divided control, he said, “and now, all of a sudden, when it looks like a lot of people are saying that we might win this race for governor — bang, here comes a proposal that would make it so that you don’t need the governor’s approval in order to actually pass a budget for the year.”

He said passing bills on his platform released this week — as well as on other issues — will require support from Iowans to ensure their concerns are heard. He also said these measures will help ensure “insider” control and the ability to overlook voters’ wants would be more difficult in the future.

“We’ll need the help of Iowans to point out to the Legislature that we do really care a lot about these issues, and we do think that politicians should have to follow the rules the same way we do, as regular people,” Sand said. “And if Iowans elect me, then I think the Legislature is going to have to look at the situation and go, ‘OK, we’re going to have to do some of this stuff, because the people of state of Iowa say they want it.’”

This story has been updated.

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