More
Donate
Get Involved

DES MOINES - Rob Sand wants Iowans to believe his campaign is powered by grassroots, small-dollar support. The truth is far different.

A closer look at Sand’s latest fundraising report shows a campaign bankrolled by out-of-state coastal billionaires, Democrat megadonors, and political insiders. It’s a familiar pattern for Sand. In his last report, more than $7 million from his wealthy wife and in-laws formed the backbone of his fundraising. This time, that family money has been replaced by elite donors from New York, California, and Chicago stepping in to fill the gap.

Sand may call it “small-dollar” fundraising, but for the people funding him, six-figure checks are pocket change.

Some of Rob Sand’s large donations include:

  • $250,000 Reid Hoffman, billionaire LinkedIn co-founder under DOJ investigation for ties to Jeffrey Epstein

  • $200,000 Fred Hubbell, Des Moines Democrat insider and failed governor candidate

  • $140,000 Nicholas Rowley, trial lawyer

  • $103,500 Deborah Simon of Indiana, heir to billionaire mall tycoon Melvin Simon

  • $100,000 Pamela and Harry Bookey, Des Moines real estate moguls

  • $100,000 Gideon Friedman, New York real estate CEO

  • $70,000 Mark Heising, California billionaire megadonor

  • $60,000 Jeremy Liew, California venture capitalist

  • $50,000 Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker

  • $50,000 Blair Hull, Chicago businessman and megadonor

  • $50,000 Amy Goldman Fowler, New York billionaire heiress

  • $50,000 Timothy Urban, Des Moines real estate developer

  • $50,000 David Spencer, California-based businessman and member of the Rockefeller family

  • $40,000 Darshan Somashekar, New York tech entrepreneur

“Rob Sand wants Iowans focused on a splashy headline featuring the total of his fundraising, but not the truth,” said Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann. “If it’s not his rich in-laws bankrolling him, it’s a who’s who of South of Grand real estate moguls, coastal elites and Democrat mega-donors stepping in. That’s not grassroots. That’s a bought-and-paid-for campaign, and Iowans deserve to know exactly who owns it.”

###

Share this post