Iowa’s first gubernatorial debate of the general election was full of heated exchanges as Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn sparred over education funding, tax policy and more. KWQC in Davenport hosted the Tuesday, Oct. 6, debate at St. Ambrose University — the first in a series of four debates scheduled during October. Sand leads by about 7 percentage points in a Real Clear Politics rolling average of polls. But registered Republicans outnumber registered Democrats by about 180,000 people, according to October statistics from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, giving Republicans a clear structural advantage in Iowa. Tap the link in our bio for more on this story. #Iowa #IApolitics #Election2026