Rob Sand, 2026 Iowa Governor Democratic candidate
Rob Sand
DEMOCRATIC
Iowa Auditor of State (D)
2019 – Present

2026 Iowa Governor Polls

Zach Lahn, 2026 Iowa Governor Republican candidate
Zach Lahn
REPUBLICAN
Businessman

2026 Iowa Governor Polling Average:

Aggregate of all polls released for Iowa's Governor election between Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn. This page will update the moment new polls are released, including the polling average, projected margin, and survey details.

Year
2026
Race
Governor
State
Iowa
Democratic candidate
Rob Sand
Republican candidate
Zach Lahn
Incumbent / open governorship
Open Governorship
Polling average
50.5% D / 44.0% R
Polling average margin
D +6.5
Last updated
12:00 AM on October 12, 2026
Polls included
18
Latest poll
YouGov — October 12, 2026

Iowa Governor Polling Trend

2026 Iowa governor Polling Average

Rob Sand leads Zach Lahn by 6.5% in the Pollsmax polling average for the 2026 Iowa governor election, 50.5% to 44.0%. The average currently aggregates results from 18 polls. According to the latest Iowa governor poll, conducted by YouGov on October 12, Sand leads Lahn 50% to 44%.

Democrat

—%

Weighted polling average

Republican

—%

Weighted polling average

Net margin

—

Polling average difference

Polls Included

—

Number of polls conducted

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Latest Iowa Governor Polls

Pollster
Date
Sample
Rob Sand
Zach Lahn
Margin
Polling Average
—
—
50.5%
44.0%
D +6.5
YouGov
October 12, 2026
2,245 LV
50%
44%
D +6.0
Marist University
October 11, 2026
— LV
52%
45%
D +7.0
Emerson College
October 6, 2026
650 LV
49%
45%
D +4.0
SSRS
October 5, 2026
801 LV
51%
42%
D +9.0
Suffolk University
October 4, 2026
500 LV
55%
43%
D +12.0
New York Times / Siena College
October 1, 2026
606 LV
52%
41%
D +11.0
Fox News / Beacon Research
September 28, 2026
1,008 LV
53%
44%
D +9.0
Marist University
September 20, 2026
1,050 RV
56%
41%
D +15.0
co/efficient (R)
September 16, 2026
831 LV
46%
42%
D +4.0
Cygnal (R)
September 11, 2026
500 LV
48%
44%
D +3.4
YouGov
September 8, 2026
2,041 LV
51%
41%
D +10.0
Emerson College
September 1, 2026
750 LV
49%
46%
D +3.1
Wedgewood Polls
August 29, 2026
600 LV
51%
46%
D +5.0
Suffolk University
August 22, 2026
500 LV
48%
44%
D +4.2
Emerson College
August 4, 2026
712 LV
48%
43%
D +5.7
Fox News / Beacon Research
June 27, 2026
1,003 RV
53%
44%
D +9.0
New York Times / Siena College
June 27, 2026
600 LV
48%
47%
D +1.0
Cygnal (R)
June 19, 2026
600 LV
48%
43%
D +4.3

About the Pollsmax Polling Average

Pollsmax creates a time-weighted and partisanship-adjusted polling average from an aggregate of all polls conducted for the general election. See the polling methodology to learn more about how polls are standardized and weighted.