Polls · Iowa governor
Emerson College , 6 October 2026
Emerson College has Rob Sand ahead of Zach Lahn by 4 points in Iowa governor, 49% to 45%. Since its previous poll (1 September 2026): Zach Lahn −1 (46 → 45).
| Race | Iowa governor |
|---|---|
| Fieldwork | 5 October 2026 – 6 October 2026 |
| Stage | General election |
| Sample | 650 (likely voters) |
| Method | text-to-web to voter-file sample (MMS) plus online panel interviews; matched to the Aristotle voter file |
| Release | release |
| In our average | Yes |
Main
 Rob Sand D |
49 | |
 Zach Lahn R |
45 | |
| Undecided | 6 |
Margin on the decided vote: D+4.3; after our adjustments D+5.2, which includes a move of 0.5 points to the Democrats with the national trend since the poll (↻).
Against the other polls
Against the median of the 5 other polls of this race taken within a week of it: Rob Sand 49% against 52%; Zach Lahn 45% against 42.8%.
Emerson College's previous poll of this race, 1 September 2026 →
Photo credits
- Rob Sand: Photo: Rob Sand for Governor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rob_Sand_campaign_headshot_(cropped_1).jpg)
- Zach Lahn: Photo: Aunger67, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zach_Lahn_IA_State_Fair_2026.jog.jpg)