Sand, auditor for state with strong Trump support, defeats Maha-backed Republican Zach Lahn as Democrats win big

• US midterms 2026 live – latest updates

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Democrat Rob Sand has been elected governor of Iowa, the Associated Press projects, a milestone as his party seeks to rebuild its political standing in the midwestern state.

Sand, the state auditor who is the sole Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa, triumphed over Republican Zach Lahn, a political newcomer backed by Robert F Kennedy Jr’s “Make America healthy again” movement.

Control of the Senate and House of Representatives, both currently held by the Republicans, is at stake

• US midterms 2026 live – latest updates

• Track live results from all 50 states

Americans are heading to the polls today in US midterm elections widely seen as a referendum on Donald Trump’s second presidency and a chance for opponents to rein in his untrammeled power.

At stake is control of the US Senate and House of Representatives, both currently held by Republicans, and in recent days, the two parties have scrambled to deliver their final pitches to voters. Additionally, there are elections for governor in 36 states, as well for state legislatures, sheriff’s offices, and on the approval of ballot initiatives nationwide.

Stevens’s decision sparked fierce backlash from members of the party, while Donald Trump praised the sudden switch

Democrat Haley Stevens’s shocking last-minute endorsement of Mike Rogers, the Michigan Republican Senate candidate, in the run-up to Tuesday’s midterm elections has sparked fierce backlash from members of her party.

Stevens, who narrowly lost in the Democratic primary for Senate to Abdul El-Sayed, announced her support for Rogers after a feud with the El-Sayed campaign over an outside group’s advertisement, which blamed the high cost of living on US support for Israel.