Lahn’s record contradicts his claims of being a political outsider

Republican Zach Lahn is running for Iowa governor as a D.C. outsider despite his long career as a political operative.

“Zach Lahn is not a politician but another Iowan like you,” his campaign website claims. “He is a father, farmer, and a businessman. He is [a] 6th generation Iowan, his own biggest donor, and does not answer to large corporations or special interest[s].”

A review of Lahn’s finance disclosures, however, shows that he earned at least $231,505 as a campaign staffer and congressional aide. This includes working for lawmakers in Montana and Colorado.

Lahn’s earliest known political job was as a staffer to Colorado state Sen. Greg Brophy in 2009, the same year Lahn graduated from college. He made news around this time for challenging President Barack Obama to a debate during a town hall meeting in Grand Junction, CO, without disclosing that he was a paid operative.

In 2010, Lahn worked for Republican Cory Gardner, who was running for the U.S. House at the time. After Gardner won, Lahn was a staff assistant to the new congressman for three months.

In May 2011, Lahn was hired to manage Montana Republican Steve Daines’ 2012 campaign for the U.S. House. He reports making nearly $92,000 in this role. Lahn then spent eight months as Daines’ state director.

Lahn’s first political job in Iowa was managing Republican David Young’s 2014 campaign for the U.S. House. Lahn was hired in July 2013, but left the campaign four months later. He then went to work for one of Young’s primary opponents, former Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz.

Young ultimately defeated Schultz in the primary.

MsNow reports that Lahn then became the Montana state director for Americans for Prosperity, a far-right group funded by conservative billionaire Charles Koch.

Lahn has come under fire in the Iowa governor’s race for living in Kansas prior to his campaign launch. His political background further undermines his claims of being a lifelong Iowan.

Earlier this year, Lahn claimed, “I told my wife many times, if I ever ran for anything, the only thing I’d ever want to run for was governor,” but Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, now a candidate for the U.S. Senate, said Lahn previously expressed interest in running for Congress.

Lahn’s Democratic opponent, State Auditor Rob Sand, launched a TV ad last week describing Lahn as a “part-time Iowan.”

The Cook Political Report, which ranks the competitiveness of political races, says the race for Iowa governor is a toss-up.