Zach Lahn

Lahn was born in Sioux City, Iowa and grew up nearby in Hinton. He is a sixth-generation Iowan. In 2005, Lahn graduated from Sioux City East High School. In 2009, Lahn graduated from University of Colorado, Boulder with a Bachelor's degree in political science. Lahn moved to Montana in 2011, Iowa in 2013, Montana in 2014, and Kansas in 2017. Lahn moved back to Iowa in 2023.

In 2016, Lahn founded Homeplace Ventures, which makes investments in real estate and agriculture.

In 2017, Lahn launched and leads Wonder, a preK-12 nonprofit private school in Wichita, Kansas. Wonder follows a multi-age, "Montessori-style" progressive education approach. Lahn, who is the school's president, argues it avoids "made-up grades on a report card or authoritarian top-down learning". The school was financed by Chase Koch (of the Koch family) and his then-wife Annie Koch. In 2025, the school had over $4.5 million in debts and had expenses exceed revenue in five of its six years.

Lahn was previously a board member for FirmTech, a company which sells sex toys and sexual health products. Lahn invested approximately $1 million into the company, before resigning from the board in September 2023. Lahn states that he is contractually unable to disinvest his money, and that he resigned from the board before the company began to sell sex toys, having previously focused on erectile dysfunction and cardiovascular disease in men.

Republican campaign manager

While a student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Lahn was an aide to Republican state senator Greg Brophy. In 2009, Lahn attended a town hall where Barack Obama was promoting the Affordable Care Act. Lahn, who opposed a public health insurance option, challenged Obama to an "Oxford-style debate" and then asked him: "How in the world can a private corporation providing insurance compete with an entity that does not have to worry about making a profit[?]" Lahn's question went viral in conservative media circles. Rush Limbaugh said that Lahn had "nuk[ed] the entire foundation of Obamacare".

After college, Lahn worked on a series of conservative political campaigns. In 2010, Lahn worked for the Cory Gardner campaign for US House in CO-4. In 2011, Lahn managed the Steve Daines campaign for US House in MT-AL. In 2013, Lahn managed the David Young campaign for US House in IA-3. Lahn left the Young campaign to work for the Matt Schultz campaign, Young's primary opponent.

In 2014, Lahn became the Montana state director for Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy group affiliated with the Koch network. Montana AFP worked to oppose Medicaid expansion. In 2015, Lahn claimed that "the voices of millions of Montanans" opposed Medicaid expansion. Because Montana has just 1 million residents, the statement was widely mocked. Governor Steve Bullock stated: "Not knowing how many 'millions' of people live in Montana won't stop the Koch brothers and Americans for Prosperity from spending millions of dollars to buy our elections." Montana expanded Medicaid in 2015, and Lahn lost his job soon after.

2026 Iowa gubernatorial election

Lahn is running as a Republican in the 2026 Iowa gubernatorial election. Lahn first announced his candidacy on November 6, 2025. He filed paperwork to qualify for the ballot in March 2026, after submitting 6,100 petition signatures.

During the Republican primary, Lahn faced several opponents, including U.S. representative Randy Feenstra. During the primary, Lahn attacked Feenstra as "soft" on immigration, while Feenstra attacked Lahn for investing in FirmTech Inc. Lahn's campaign was endorsed by former U.S. representative Steve King, actor Rob Schneider and Turning Point Action, while Feenstra received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.

On June 3, 2026, Lahn won the Republican primary, narrowly defeating Feenstra and also defeating three other opponents. Feenstra conceded the race that evening and later endorsed Lahn in the general election. Lahn's victory marked the second time during the 2026 midterm elections that a Trump-endorsed candidate lost a Republican primary race. The Guardian described Lahn's victory as "a rare rebuke to Trump", while Politico described his defeat of Feenstra as a "shocking upset". In July, Trump endorsed Lahn.

Lahn will face Democratic candidate Rob Sand in the November 2026 general election.

In 2026, Lahn ran a conservative populist campaign under the "Iowa First" slogan with support for the "Make America Healthy Again" movement. Time described Lahn's campaign as fusing "traditional conservative themes with an aggressive critique of corporate agriculture, pesticide use, and pharmaceutical influence".

Abortion

Lahn supports a total abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Stating "I don't think you can be more pro-life than I am," he supports Iowa's current heartbeat bill, but argues that abortion bans "need to go all the way to life at conception." Lahn believes it is morally wrong to discard embryos during In vitro fertilisation. Additionally, he has called for banning abortion pills such as mifepristone.

Education

Lahn supports an expansion of Iowa's Education Savings Account school vouchers system. At the Moms For Liberty debate, Lahn argued the governor must "hold teachers accountable for when they indoctrinate our kids".

Firearms

Lahn supports constitutional carry. Lahn supports loosening gun regulations to allow permit holders to carry firearms on school property.

Healthcare

Lahn supports continuing Iowa's privatized management of Medicaid.

Lahn supports ending required vaccinations for public school, a ban on mRNA vaccines, and de-listing COVID-19 vaccines from the market.

Immigration

Lahn supports a ban on H-1B visa holders taking any job in Iowa government or public universities.

Land ownership and data centers

Lahn supports lower property taxes on Iowa residents.

Lahn opposes secret land ownership and foreign investment in Iowa farms. Lahn has stated that he will confiscate land owned by Chinese nationals and "give it to veterans to start homesteads." He is skeptical of eminent domain, and believes it should be reserved for rare circumstances.

In April, Lahn vowed to increase taxes on AI data centers by 500%. In May, he called for a "complete moratorium" on new data centers.

Pesticides and agriculture

Lahn argues that high usage of pesticides such as glyphosate and nitrate-based fertilizer in Iowa pollute drinking water and cause the state's higher cancer rates. In response, Lahn has vowed to break up the "Big Ag monopolies".

Lahn and his second wife, Annie Lahn (née Breitenbach), have seven children in a blended family. Annie was formerly married to Chase Koch, and had helped finance Lahn's Wonder school. In 2020, Zach and Annie both divorced their partners and married. Lahn was previously married to Lauren Lahn.

Lahn lives on a centuries-old Lahn family farm in Belle Plaine. He also owns a second home in Kansas.

Lahn is a certified pilot through the Federal Aviation Administration. He frequently flies between his houses, spending time with his children from different marriages.