Vance ends Iowa rally with 7-minute censure of Rob Sand

Vice President Vance zeroed in on Iowa Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand during a rally in Council Bluffs on Friday, saying he is too far left to lead the state.

Sand is leading in several polls in the contest to succeed Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in November.

In a roughly seven-minute attack on Sand, Vance accused the candidate of masquerading as a moderate when he is “far left.”

“He wants to make sure you hear him groaning about partisanship,” Vance told a crowd of supporters.

“He’ll say ‘Why do we even need labels’; that’s what he says. But it’s a strange thing to complain about from a guy who has spent his entire life working for and donating to far left, Democratic causes. If partisanship is a problem, and it is, the first place is to look in the damn mirror, Rob, because you’ve been a partisan Democrat your whole life,” he said.

Vance went on to hit Sand, who is the state’s auditor, on a number of fronts, including transgender people in women’s sports, abortion and the Green New Deal; and he sought to paint Sand and other Democratic candidates as extreme.

“The choice is this simple: It’s common sense versus crazy. It’s a man who listens to you versus a man who looks down on you. It’s a governor who fights for you versus a governor who fights against you,” Vance said.

“You have an opportunity to not send not just Rob Sand but the entire Democrat Party a message: Check the crazy at the door, and learn to fight for Americans for a change,” he continued.

Polls show a tight gubernatorial race potentially favoring Democrats in the Hawkeye State. A poll released earlier this month from Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media shows Sand leading his Republican opponent Zach Lahn 49 percent to 46 percent.

Vance notably called out Kansas Democratic Senate candidate Adam Hamilton and Texas Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico at the rally. The comments come as polls show a tightening Senate race in Kansas.

While Lahn was present at the rally with Vance, one Iowa candidate who was noticeably absent was Republican Senate nominee Rep. Ashley Hinson.

The congresswoman’s Senate campaign said ahead of the rally that she had conflicting events. Hinson is facing a highly competitive race against Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek. The same Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media survey showed Turek leading Hinson 46 percent to 44 percent.

“I know she couldn’t be here today, but are we going to elect Ashley Hinson for United States senator from the great state of Iowa?” the vice president said.