A prominent Iowa Democrat is making it clear that he wants his party to move on from former Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of the 2028 presidential election.
Iowa gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand flatly rejected the possibility of Harris campaigning alongside him before going a step further and saying she should not make another run for the White House. The remarks came during an interview with Politico’s Jonathan Martin at the Iowa State Fair.
Politico later shared the exchange on X, writing, “Rob Sand on a Kamala Harris 2028 run: ‘Nope.’” The outlet noted that Sand is also uninterested in receiving campaign help from Harris or former President Joe Biden.
Martin initially asked Sand whether he would want Biden to travel to Iowa and campaign for him.
“No. Can he even do that right now?” Sand responded.
The Democratic nominee was similarly dismissive when Martin brought up Harris.
“No thanks. Let’s move on. We need some new leadership,” Sand said.
Martin then asked the question directly: “You don’t think Harris should run in 2028?”
“Nope,” Sand replied.
Martin described Sand as the “first high-profile Dem to answer this question directly,” noting that Democrats have often been reluctant to take firm positions on Harris’ political future.
Sand, who has served as Iowa’s state auditor since 2019, is currently running against Republican businessman Zach Lahn to succeed outgoing Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The Democrat has sought to maintain distance from his party’s national image while campaigning in a state that has moved significantly toward Republicans in recent elections.
Registered Republicans currently outnumber Democrats by more than 180,000 in Iowa, according to the Des Moines Register. Sand will therefore need support from independents and some Republican voters if he hopes to win statewide in November.
When Martin pressed Sand about what kind of candidate Democrats should nominate in 2028, he declined to identify his preferred alternative.
“You got my gut reaction on a couple,” Sand said, explaining that his immediate attention was on the Iowa gubernatorial election rather than a presidential contest still two years away.
Sand also shut down speculation surrounding his own national ambitions.
When asked whether he might eventually run for president, Sand said no. He gave the same answer when asked whether he would consider serving as another candidate’s vice presidential running mate.
Sand is not the only major Iowa Democrat keeping his distance from Harris.
Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Josh Turek was separately asked Wednesday whether he wanted Harris to campaign for him.
“No,” Turek responded without elaborating, according to the Des Moines Register.
The public rejection comes as Harris continues to leave the door open to another presidential campaign.
Harris said earlier this year that she “might” run in 2028 and was still considering her political future, though she has not formally announced another White House bid.
Despite Sand’s opposition, Harris remains a significant figure in early discussions surrounding the next Democratic presidential nomination.
The source report cited a RealClearPolling average showing Harris at 24.6% in hypothetical Democratic primary polling conducted from early July through late August, compared with 15.2% for California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), per Trending Politics.
Those numbers suggest Harris continues to retain substantial support among Democratic voters even as some candidates facing competitive races attempt to distance themselves from the party’s former presidential ticket.
For Sand, however, there appears to be little ambiguity about whether Democrats should nominate Harris again.
Asked directly whether the former vice president should seek the presidency in 2028, the Iowa Democrat needed only one word to deliver his answer: “Nope.”
