Iowa Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand bluntly rejected the prospect of receiving campaign help from former President Joe Biden or former Vice President Kamala Harris, declaring that his party needs “new leadership.”
Sand made the remarks during an interview with POLITICO published Wednesday, distancing himself from the two former Democratic leaders as he campaigns for governor.
POLITICO’s Jonathan Martin noted on X that Sand was the “first high-profile Dem to answer this question directly.”
Martin asked Sand whether he would want Biden to travel to Iowa and campaign alongside him. Sand declined the potential assistance.
When Martin followed up by asking whether Sand would welcome Harris on the campaign trail, the Iowa Democrat offered an equally direct response.
“No, thanks,” Sand said. “Let’s move on. We need some new leadership.”
Sand maintained that position even when asked about the possibility that Harris could seek the presidency in 2028. Asked whether the former vice president should launch another White House campaign, Sand simply answered, “No.”
Martin also questioned Sand about what direction Democrats should take in 2020, including whether the party’s presidential nominee should be a governor or another figure from outside Washington, D.C.
“I just… you got my gut reaction on a couple,” Sand responded. “I don’t know what the answer to that is. I mean, I got an election in 75 days.”
Sand’s campaign for Iowa governor has become increasingly contentious in recent weeks.
The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that activists affiliated with the conservative organization Turning Point USA followed and booed Sand last week.
Speaking with reporters Saturday at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox, Sand referred to the activists who followed him as “kids” and questioned whether their tactics were effective.
“I mean, I don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing, or how they think that’s effective,” Sand said.
The Democratic candidate said he felt bad for other people nearby who were attempting to enjoy the fair but had their experience disrupted by the confrontation.
“So that’s all I had to say about that,” Sand added.
Sand also urged his own supporters not to imitate the behavior he attributed to the activists.
His message to backers at the event and elsewhere, he said, was: “Don’t behave like the kids from Turning Point USA.”
Sand is facing Republican Zach Lahn in the Iowa gubernatorial contest.
Lahn’s opponents have labeled him a “part-time Iowan,” pointing to his frequent trips to Kansas to visit “some” of his children.
Sand, meanwhile, is keeping his attention on the approaching election rather than weighing in extensively on the Democratic Party’s possible presidential field. His comments made clear, however, that he is not seeking campaign appearances from Biden or Harris and does not support another Harris presidential run in 2028.
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