Gov.-elect Rob Sand adds Republican, independent to transition team

Iowa Gov.-elect Rob Sand announced new members of what he termed his “tripartisan” transition team Monday — including a Republican and an independent. Sand, the Democratic candidate who won the Nov. 3, 2026 election to become Iowa’s next governor, discussed his leadership team during a news conference at the Iowa Capitol. Members include former Iowa GOP chair Mike Mahaffey and state Rep. Brian Lohse, an independent who had previously served as a Republican state lawmaker but detached himself from the Republican Party after his primary loss in June 2026. The news comes after Sand announced Elisabeth Buck and Morgan Miller will be co-directors of the Sand Transition Committee. Buck has worked on the transition teams for former Iowa Democratic Govs. Chet Culver and Tom Vilsack, and Miller worked as the political director of the Iowa State Education Association.

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