Zach Lahn

Zach Lahn’s family sold its longtime farm near Belle Plaine after his great grandmother Evelyn died in 2005; nearly a decade later, he bought it back and began reassembling the property parcel by parcel.¹ He and his wife, Annie, have a blended family of seven children, and he is also a pilot.¹

Raised in western Iowa, Lahn learned about agriculture alongside his father, Jim, whose work included agronomy, conservation and pastoral ministry.¹ His father later developed lymphoma, an experience Lahn has cited while explaining his focus on cancer and environmental health.¹ He has also pledged to defend Iowa’s existing abortion restrictions, citing his Christian faith.¹

His career before this campaign included work for a Colorado state senator and Americans for Prosperity, the conservative advocacy organization associated with the Koch family.² He later moved to Wichita and launched Wonder, a private school serving children from preschool through high school, on Wichita State’s campus in 2018.² He has not previously held elected office.²

Against Democrat Rob Sand, Lahn supports keeping private school tuition assistance available to families regardless of income, while Sand wants eligibility limits.³ Lahn also proposes directing more research toward Iowa’s cancer and water problems and offering tax incentives to help young residents stay and buy homes.²