“Farmers Cannot Trust Zach Lahn”: Iowa Farmers Call Out Lahn Over His Running Mate’s Legal and Financial Scandals
Des Moines Register: “Wulf didn’t respond to an email seeking comment”
DES MOINES – Last week, nominee for lieutenant governor Dave Muhlbauer and Iowa farmers put Zach Lahn on blast for refusing to address serious allegations that his running mate Derek Wulf is under criminal investigation and has been accused of theft and fraud. Farmers questioned Lahn’s judgement, saying that if he actually lived in Iowa instead of Kansas, he would’ve known what Iowa farmers already knew about Wulf’s predatory business practices.
What Iowans are reading and watching about Lahn’s reckless decision-making:
Des Moines Register: Sand’s running mate says criminal probe should disqualify Derek Wulf
- Iowa Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Dave Muhlbauer is accusing Republican gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn of failing to properly vet his running mate.
- During a Thursday, Sept. 10, news conference, Muhlbauer called Lahn’s selection of Derek Wulf as his running mate “disqualifying.” He cited a Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office criminal investigation into Wulf.
- “Farmers cannot trust Zach Lahn when he chooses a running mate that jeopardizes their farm operation and left them out to dry,” Muhlbauer said.
- Wulf didn’t respond to an email seeking comment after the news conference late Thursday afternoon.
- “Why didn’t Lahn know this?” Muhlbauer said in Thursday’s news conference, referencing Lahn’s practice of splitting time between Iowa and Kansas. “If he was in Iowa full time, he should have. And if he’s going to fumble the football on something like this, what else is he going to do in leadership as a governor?”
KCCI: Muhlbauer criticizes Lahn’s choice of Wulf amid lawsuits, investigation
- Muhlbauer said the issues described in the investigation go beyond the financial challenges many Iowa farmers face.
- “This isn’t just about a bad farm economy,” Muhlbauer said. “Zach Lahn’s running mate is accused of defrauding farmers and threatening their livelihoods.”
- Muhlbauer said he is familiar with the pressures facing farmers, identifying himself as a fifth-generation farmer. He and other farmers who spoke at Thursday’s news conference said Wulf should have communicated more clearly and taken responsibility for the situation.
What Iowans are saying about Lahn’s reckless decision-making:
The Gazette’s Todd Dorman: Wulf’s baggage is weighing down Lahn’s campaign
- So God made a farmer, who was sued eight times for failing to pay his bills and tried to use a closed checking account to pay debts before a judge ordered a receiver to take over his farm.
- His campaign insisted Lahn didn’t know about any criminal probe. But he should have known. Court records are publicly available. Due diligence is supposed to be diligent. If this is the way he makes big decisions, what will he do as governor? It’s too late to drop Wulf from the ticket.
- Meanwhile, elsewhere down on the farm, the Iowa Farm Bureau declined to make an endorsement in the race for governor.
Bleeding Heartland’s Laura Belin: Derek Wulf finances
- It does raise a couple of red flags. Lahn’s spokesperson confirmed to the Des Moines Register that the candidate for governor didn’t know about the criminal investigation when he picked Wulf. It was right there in the foreclosure petition, publicly available since mid-May. So no one on Lahn’s team reviewed court records when they were vetting running mates.
- Another potential problem for Lahn is that Wulf is off the board as a campaign surrogate. While Sand’s running mate Dave Muhlbauer is doing public events and generating media coverage just about every week, Wulf has barely been seen since the primary.
- Selecting Wulf was widely seen as a gesture to reassure farm groups … Last week, the Iowa Farm Bureau PAC rolled out its 2026 endorsements, and the group is not making a pick in the governor’s race.
Storm Lake Times Pilot’s Art Cullen: Lahn’s bad week
- The ground trembled a bit when the Iowa Farm Bureau political action committee did not endorse the self-described Belle Plaine regenerative farmer in his campaign against Democrat Rob Sand. Farm Bureau otherwise endorsed Republicans up and down the ballot.
- Also last week, The Des Moines Register reported that the farm of Derek Wulf, Lahn’s running mate for lieutenant governor, was placed in receivership by a judge over unpaid bills. The Register reported that a criminal investigation is underway by the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office … It doesn’t sound good just weeks away from the election.
- Lahn starts the sprint out of the Labor Day campaign gate with a hitch in his giddyup … His running mate is apparently broke and reportedly stiffed some of his neighbors. Sand has a ton of cash and attracts fawning publicity as his rally crowds sing “for amber waves of grain.” Lahn is in deep trouble.
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