Political parties, he told a Fort Dodge audience Tuesday, “do more to divide us than solve our problems.”

If he becomes governor, Sand promised a different approach which will feature “different people who think differently working together to get things done.”

“I will listen to everybody,” he said.

About 120 people gathered to hear him in the Bioscience and Health Sciences Building at Iowa Central Community College. When Sand asked for a show of hands, it was revealed that the audience included Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

Sand said he will focus on economic issues and on making sure taxpayers can see how their money is spent by government.

“I think we need to be focused on accountability for people in positions of trust and power,” he said. “And I think we need to be focused on affordability for everyday Iowans.”

He said he wants to restore the power of the state Auditor’s Office to conduct audits and combat misspending. That power, he said, was curtailed by Republican legislators and Gov. Kim Reynolds.

“This is madness,” he said.

Noting the growing incidence of cancer in Iowa, Sand said the state government should be doing something to prevent cancer rather than making a token $1 million investment in fighting the disease.

“Hogwash is the polite term,” he said of the state’s cancer investment.

He said he also wants to put some regulations on the use of Education Savings Accounts that enable parents to receive state money and use it to pay tuition for their children at private schools.

First, he wants the program to be subject to audits. He also wants to require private and parochial schools to accept all students who hope to enroll with the help of Education Savings Accounts.

“If they take public money they can’t pick and choose who gets to attend,” he said.

He said he also wants to reverse the privatization of the state’s Medciaid program, a move he said will increase quality and reduce costs. Medicaid is the joint federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled.