Iowa Democrat gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand has campaigned as a scripture-quoting, party-skeptical moderate. The church he attends, according to reporting first surfaced by Breitbart, tells a different story.
Sand, Iowa's state auditor, regularly attended Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Des Moines as of late 2025, according to Iowa columnist Chuck Offenburger, whose account is cited by Fox News Digital. That congregation — which describes itself as an "LGBTQ+ Open and Affirming" church — has, per Breitbart, hosted drag shows and run sex education for children that is infused with gender ideology.
The church's own website calls itself an "LGBTQ+ Open & Affirming Congregation" and states that it takes the Bible "seriously, not literally," Breitbart reports. Fox News reports the congregation's "about" page features a photo of churchgoers at a gay pride parade and notes it has been an open and affirming congregation for more than 30 years. A United Church of Christ profile cited by Fox shows the church flying a pride flag and calls Plymouth "a progressive powerhouse in the region."
The specific events are documented, not alleged. Breitbart reports Plymouth hosted drag performer Flamy Grant for a concert in May 2025, and that transgender-identifying pastor Paula Stone Williams served as a guest pastor in 2023 — a visit Offenburger also wrote about, according to Fox. Breitbart reports the church celebrates "Transgender Day of Remembrance" and "Transgender Day of Visibility" on social media, and that its pastors joined a February 2025 protest "to pray and stand up for our trans and gender nonconforming friends and neighbors," according to a church Facebook post cited by Fox.
The church's political activity extends beyond gender. Fox News reports Plymouth held a prayer vigil supporting abortion access in May 2022 and joined a July 2023 protest against abortion restrictions. The congregation has been open about its positions — its "about" page, the church's public witness and its partnership with the United Church of Christ all point the same direction.
Sand's campaign says his faith is personal and genuine. "Rob's faith is deeply important to him, and like many, he has never found a church where he agrees with everything, but does prefer traditional services with liturgy and classic hymns," a campaign spokeswoman told Fox News Digital.
"Rob Sand goes to church weekly and does so in Iowa, unlike Zach Lahn. Rob's faith is deeply important to him, and like many, he has never found a church where he..." the campaign said in a statement reported by Fox News.
Sand is running against Republican nominee Zach Lahn, a private school founder, farmer and businessman, and leads by an average of more than 8 points according to RealClear Polling, Breitbart reports. The race is one of the most closely watched governor's contests in the country, and Sand has worked to cultivate a moderate image within it — describing political parties as "poison," saying he has voted for Republicans in the past, and claiming he is exhausted by the culture war, per Breitbart.
He has also leaned hard on religious language. On the campaign trail Sand repeatedly references Christianity and quotes scripture and, as Breitbart notes, says he often asks himself "What Would Jesus Do? I'm a conservative. But I'm not a party-based person. I like to vote for the person as opposed to the party. And to me, (Sand) just seems really honest and down to earth."
Charisma Magazine noted the tension directly, writing that "choosing to worship regularly in a congregation that promotes practices contrary to Scripture is itself a warning sign" and urging Christian voters to weigh the choice alongside Sand's campaign statements. The outlet did not accuse Sand of personally endorsing every program at Plymouth; it questioned the gap between his moderate branding and the congregation he chose.
What the reporting does not establish is Sand's personal involvement in any Plymouth event, his knowledge of the church's children's programming, or whether he agrees with the congregation's positions. Breitbart reports he attends the church; the church's record is a matter of its own public statements and social media posts. The campaign has not disputed the church's documented activity, only framed Sand's attendance as a matter of finding a traditional service.
Our Take
Here's the thing, folks: nobody is saying Rob Sand put on a dress or taught a class. He says he goes for the liturgy and the hymns, and maybe that's true.
But when a man spends an entire campaign selling himself as the lunch-pail Christian who quotes Jesus and calls political parties "poison," the church he chose to sit in every week isn't a footnote. It's the résumé. Plymouth didn't hide what it is — pride flag out front, drag concert on the calendar, transgender guest pastor on the pulpit, pastors at the abortion protest. Sand had to drive past that flag to get to the pew.
The Iowa Democrat establishment doesn't want you asking about any of it, because the whole play is to keep moderate church-going Iowans from noticing the brand and the building don't match. Republicans Zach Lahn's camp, meanwhile, gets to run on school choice and family values while Sand's own church advertises sex-ed to kids that has a whole lot more to do with gender theory than with the Gospel.
Patriots, elections are won in the pews and the school board meetings. Iowans need to know what Sand's congregation actually teaches before they hand him the governor's mansion. And if you call yourself a conservative Christian, ask yourself one simple question: would you let that church teach your kids? If the answer is no, don't hire a man who calls it home.
