Lahn and Sand Pick Their VP — What the Picks Say

Chris Hagenow and John Hendrickson are back in the Hendrickson Library with a packed episode covering Iowa's fast-moving post-primary political landscape. Both gubernatorial candidates have now selected their running mates: Rob Sand tapped Dave Muhlbauer, a farmer from western Iowa, while Zach Lahn chose State Representative Derek Wulf of Black Hawk County, also a farmer. Chris and John break down the strategy behind each pick, why Wulf stands out as a particularly strong choice for Lahn, and what the selection of two agricultural running mates signals about where both campaigns think the race will be won.The conversation turns to the broader general election dynamics shaping up between Lahn and Sand. Chris and John assess how quickly the Republican Party has consolidated around Lahn, the head start Sand's campaign has built toward a general election operation, and how the scrutiny of a real general election contest may complicate Sand's carefully constructed moderate image. A Republican Party audio drop this week — featuring Sand openly calling for political retribution on judicial nominations — gives the Lahn campaign exactly the kind of contrast material it needs to make the "governor for all Iowans" sell a harder one for Sand.The second half of the episode takes up two policy-driven stories. First, the final report on Iowa's Universal Basic Income pilot — a project run through several central Iowa cities that distributed $500 monthly stipends to participants. The report's conclusions, citing reduced stress and improved "sense of mattering," prompt a pointed exchange about what government is actually for, who's paying, and why local governments have no business engineering social outcomes with taxpayer dollars. Chris and John connect this directly to Iowa's property tax problem and the fiscal absurdity of local governments playing philanthropist.Finally, a Des Moines Register story on the city of Des Moines reconsidering its tax incentive programs — including TIF and property tax abatements — gives Chris and John a chance to explore when these tools have merit and when they're simply political ribbon-cutting at taxpayer expense.0:13 Welcome & housekeeping2:24 Trivia: Laddie Boy & Smoot-Hawley5:01 Correction & running mate announcements5:52 Sand picks Muhlbauer, Lahn picks Derek Wulf8:22 Why Wulf is a strong pick for Lahn10:32 GOP consolidation & Lahn's general election ramp-up12:22 Sand's media advantage and the contrast campaign ahead13:37 Sand audio drop & turning him into a generic Democrat14:34 Andy Beshear visits Iowa — 2028 implications15:32 Iowa's UBI pilot: background and ITR's role18:15 Dissecting the report — who pays for "feeling mattered"?21:22 UBI, local government overreach, and property taxes25:59 Des Moines reconsiders TIF and tax incentives28:05 When incentives work — and when they're ribbon-cutting30:33 Free market vs. government-directed development33:28 Sign off