Sand Leads Iowa Governor Race; Senate Contest Between Hinson and Turek Too Close to Call

Iowa's two marquee statewide races head into the general election with a clear frontrunner in the governor's contest and a Senate race that no one can call, according to a round of recent surveys.

Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand leads Republican businessman Zach Lahn by a wide margin in both polls that tested the gubernatorial race. A Fox News survey put Sand ahead by nine percentage points. An Emerson College poll had Sand at 48 percent to Lahn's 43 percent, a five-point edge.

The Senate picture is murkier. Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson leads Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek by two percentage points in a New York Times/Siena poll—a margin within the survey's error range. Emerson gave Hinson a similar edge, 48 percent to 45 percent. But a Fox News poll flipped the result, showing Turek ahead by four points. Hinson represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.

One number cuts across both races: 11 percent of Hinson's Senate supporters back Sand for governor, a crossover dynamic that could nudge the statewide margins in either direction.

Iowa's two marquee statewide races head into the general election with a clear frontrunner in the governor's contest and a Senate race that no one can call, according to a round of recent surveys.

One number cuts across both races: 11 percent of Hinson's Senate supporters back Sand for governor, a crossover dynamic that could nudge the statewide margins in either direction.