Sand pledges common sense governing
Democrat offers slate of political reforms
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"We have never been a state about Democrats versus Republicans," he told a cheering crowd of about 95 people at Shiny Top Brewing, 520 Central Ave. "We've been a state about right versus wrong, not right versus left, and that's what I want to get back to."
Sand said if he wins on Tuesday he will be working with a Republican-dominated legislature. He said he is prepared to do that, and predicted that a Democratic governor working with a Republican legislature will produce better results for Iowans.
"We know a simple truth in the state of Iowa – when people who think differently have to work together, you tend to get better outcomes than when everyone thinks the same," he said.
Sand has a number of political reforms he wants to put in place if he is elected.
"I want to start putting regulations on the most forgotten and most important place to put them – on politicians," he said.
He listed these regulations he wants to institute:
Term limits
Age limits
Mandatory town hall meetings
A band on trading stocks
Mandatory prison time for those convicted of stealing significant amounts of public money
"Once we get the politicians out and the public servants back in, we're going to be fine just like we always have," Sand said.
Sand, who is the state auditor, was introduced Thursday by his running mate, Dave Muhlbauer, who is a Crawford County supervisor.
"I am a farmer, a real farmer, so believe me when I say it is time to rotate the crops in Iowa," Muhlbauer said.
He introduced Sand as the man who can get that done.
In a brief interview just before he addressed the crowd, Sand said if he is elected he will quickly take two actions by executive order.
First, he said, he would end the privatized system of Medicaid, which is the joint state and federal health insurance program for the disabled and poor.
Second, he would allow state government employees to live anywhere in Iowa if doing so would be compatible with their job.