No, Rob Sand said, he did not wish to reveal how he voted in the Democratic Senate primary.
Sand will become the Democratic nominee for Iowa governor tonight — a fait accompli, considering he’s running unopposed. He’s also seen as a rising star of the party — and not only because, as the state auditor, he’s the only statewide Democratic elected official left in Iowa.
For Democrats, the most competitive race on the ballot is the hard-fought contest between state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek, who are locked in a battle to become the party’s Senate nominee.
“If I wanted to do endorsements,” Sand told reporters after casting his ballot, “I would have done them back when it made a big difference or any difference.”
Translation: There’s no upside for publicly taking sides in a primary that has divided the party.
As they left their polling place on Tuesday, several voters said they were torn between Turek and Wahls. “It was really hard to choose,” said Kara Grace of Des Moines, Iowa, who ultimately voted for Turek.
“I think for Democrats, it’s going to be all about electability, who can get in there and win those traditionally Republican areas,” Grace added.
For Donald Welch and Lee Albertson, electability was also weighing on their minds. They chose a different path.
“Both candidates are really, really good, but when you vote, you’ve got to make one choice,” Albertson said. “I picked Wahls.”
“Yes,” Welch said. “Same.”
Turek is from Council Bluffs, a working-class city along the Missouri River in western Iowa, and Wahls is from Johnson County, a deep-blue region home to the University of Iowa. Both men serve in the Iowa Statehouse as they compete for a chance to go to Washington.
