by Kadin Luhmann, Iowa Capital Dispatch
July 27, 2026
FORT DODGE — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand discussed plans to combat Iowa’s water quality issues and advocated for more mental health funding Monday at a town hall in Fort Dodge.
Sand, who currently serves as state auditor, said he is “not satisfied” with Iowa’s efforts to address water quality. He advocated for a data-driven approach to tackle the issue, and more wetlands that would improve soil health, water quality, biodiversity and recreational activities.
“I want us to have the single biggest expansion of wetlands and grazing land that we have ever seen in the state of Iowa,” Sand said. “You can fish, you can photograph, all kinds of fun stuff that you can do in wetlands. We want our kids to take part.”
The town hall came hours after the announcement that he supports banning social media for children under 16-years-old, citing the negative effects social media can have on mental health, saying the platforms can be as “addictive as nicotine.”
“They’re hurting people’s mental health. They’re making our kids sicker and more depressed. I think that’s a place where the government needs to take action because these are companies that are harming people,” Sand said.
Mental health
Sand said Iowa families face too many barriers when seeking behavioral health treatment, adding that Iowa has restructured its efforts to treating mental health three times in six years,
“It’s like surviving a shipwreck in the dark, with brief flashes of lightning showing possible help, but no consistent path to actually reach it,” Sand said.
Sand argued that mental health providers are in high demand, and must be paid competitive wages so they don’t leave Iowa, saying that providers may receive less compensation for telehealth appointments, causing them to leave Iowa for better opportunities.
“Number one, we should be making sure that mental health professionals in the state of Iowa are paid a competitive wage,” Sand said. “What we do not want is a situation where they can say, ‘Boy, I could make a lot more money if I was just doing this somewhere else,’ but oftentimes, we have that.”
Sand also connected Iowa’s issues to privatized Medicaid, proposing the reversal of privatized Medicaid to lower costs.
“Here’s the other thing that we can do. I just heard from a longtime [acquaintance] of mine that they are closing their mental health clinic in Iowa because of privatized Medicaid,” Sand said.
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