WASHINGTON — Zach Lahn, a farmer and Republican candidate for Iowa governor, says he won’t forget these moments: visiting a bait-and-tackle shop, bream fishing, and campaigning alongside health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“RFK Jr.’s story is one that I have long admired,” Lahn wrote on his official campaign page in August, following Kennedy’s visit to Iowa.
Kennedy, in turn, wrote that Lahn was a “superstar.”
Lahn could use the help. He’s trailing the Democratic candidate in recent polls, in a state that voted for President Trump by more than 10 percentage points in 2024.
While many GOP candidates are struggling, Lahn’s race is a particularly sharp test of Kennedy’s pull with voters, especially those who are displeased with the president, whose disapproval rating has risen sharply.
