MAHA candidate beats Trump's choice in Republican primary for Iowa governor

By — Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press Hannah Fingerhut, Associated Press By — Ali Swenson, Associated Press Ali Swenson, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/maha-candidate-beats-trumps-choice-in-republican-primary-for-iowa-governor Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter MAHA candidate beats Trump's choice in Republican primary for Iowa governor Politics Jun 3, 2026 4:32 PM EDT DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Businessman Zach Lahn's win in Iowa's Republican gubernatorial primary over President Donald Trump's pick, Rep. Randy Feenstra, delivered a rare electoral setback for Trump in a primary season that had previously handed him back-to-back victories. READ MORE: A rare Trump setback, a missing congressman and Spencer Pratt: 6 takeaways from the latest midterm primaries The narrow upset Tuesday revealed cracks in Trump's coalition in the deep-red state, encouraging Democrats who are hopeful they can flip control of the governor's office this year. It also marked a potential breakthrough moment for the Make America Healthy Again movement, which has clashed with the Trump administration over its embrace of pesticides and backed Lahn's message in favor of regenerative farming and against large agricultural corporations. "I will take on the big ag cartels. I will break up their monopolies, and I will get Iowa farmers a fair deal," Lahn said in his victory speech late Tuesday. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Members of the MAHA movement, a diverse coalition of supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. with priorities ranging from ending vaccine mandates to promoting healthy soil and organic food, cheered the win as a sign their political message was resonating with voters. LIVE RESULTS: Iowa midterm primaries "This election is a signal that pro-pesticide does not mean pro-farmer," said Tony Lyons, the president of the Kennedy-aligned MAHA PAC, which endorsed Lahn. "Zach Lahn made transitioning away from toxic chemicals the cornerstone of his campaign and won this election decisively with strong farmer support." Lahn, little known before his run, carved out a MAHA fandom Lahn, a farmer and former conservative political director, was relatively unknown in Iowa until he launched his campaign in November. During his campaign, he championed policies that appealed to Iowa's conservative grassroots supporters, like a total ban on abortion and keeping liberal ideology out of school classrooms. Lahn, who owns an investment company and lives on a farm in eastern Iowa that had been in his family for a century, capitalized on activists' skepticism toward Feenstra, criticizing him for not showing up to debate his primary opponents and spending limited time on the campaign trail. WATCH: Some MAHA backers grow frustrated with Trump's health policies But Lahn also carved out a niche