SCAN Announces Endorsements for Iowa Governor and Legislature

Save the Children Action Network Endorses Rob Sand for Iowa Governor and Bipartisan Slate of Candidates for Iowa Legislature

DES MOINES, Iowa (September 16, 2026) — Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), the political voice for kids, today announced its endorsement of Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand for governor, along with a bipartisan slate of candidates for the Iowa Legislature who have demonstrated a commitment to expanding early learning opportunities and ensuring Iowa children and families have access to nutritious food. 

“Rob Sand understands that making Iowa a place where families can thrive means making sure parents can afford childcare and children have access to the nutritious food and high-quality education they need to succeed,” SCAN Iowa State Manager Paige Chickering said. “We are proud to support his campaign for governor.” 

Sand supports full-day universal preschool and universal free school meals for Iowa children. He has also emphasized addressing food insecurity and expanding access to high-quality, affordable childcare as essential to making Iowa a state where families can afford to raise children and build a strong future. 

SCAN is also endorsing the following bipartisan slate of candidates for the Iowa Legislature: 

• Senator Annette Sweeney (R – IA Senate, District 27)
• Senator Molly Donahue (D – IA Senate, District 37)
• Heather Sievers (D – IA House, District 40)
• Representative Ryan Weldon (R – IA House, District 41)
• Representative Michael R. Bergan (R – IA House, District 63)
• Representative Chad Ingels (R – IA House, District 68)
• Representative Tracy Ehlert (D – IA House, District 79) 

“SCAN is proud to support candidates from both parties who recognize that Iowa’s future depends on giving our children the opportunity to thrive,” Chickering said. “Across the state, these candidates have demonstrated their commitment to practical and effective policies that families need, from expanding affordable childcare and early learning to supporting school meals, SNAP, WIC and Summer EBT. We look forward to continuing to work with Iowa voters, advocates and legislators to ensure that every child in Iowa has a strong start in life.” 

Continuing SCAN’s Work for Iowa’s Kids 

SCAN’s endorsements build on the organization’s sustained advocacy in Iowa. Earlier this year, SCAN helped to expand childcare assistance eligibility to all childcare providers to support workforce recruitment and retention, secure a $1 million investment in Double Up Food Bucks to help families afford more fresh produce and restart funding for the Choose Iowa School Purchasing Program to connect more children with locally grown foods. SCAN’s grassroots advocacy also helped to secure a major nutrition victory when Iowa announced it would participate in the federal Summer EBT program for the first time. 

SCAN has a history of bipartisan electoral engagement in Iowa. In 2024, the organization endorsed a bipartisan slate of candidates for the Iowa Legislature, including Representative Ehlert, all of whom were elected or reelected at the time. 

SCAN’s 2026 Iowa endorsements reflect its continuing focus on building bipartisan support for policies that expand early learning opportunities, strengthen child care and combat child hunger: 

• Senator Annette Sweeney (R – IA Senate, District 27): Sweeney, who holds a B.S. in education and has worked in teaching, agriculture and rural development, has supported investments in Double Up Food Bucks and expanded nutrition education in schools.
• Senator Molly Donahue (D – IA Senate, District 37): An experienced educator, Donahue has introduced legislation to expand access to school meals, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), as well as proposals to increase wages for the childcare workforce and expand childcare assistance reimbursement rates and eligibility.
• Heather Sievers (D – IA House, District 40): A nurse and founder of Advocates for Iowa Children, Sievers supports strengthening benefits for childcare providers, expanding early childhood education, increasing access to free school meals and ensuring Iowa participates in Summer EBT. She also supports investments connecting Iowa farmers with schools and food banks.
• Representative Ryan Weldon (R – IA House, District 41): A former president of the Ankeny School Board, Weldon has championed high-quality education beginning in the earliest years. He helped lead legislation allowing childcare providers to qualify for state childcare assistance to make care for their own children more affordable and support their continued participation in the workforce.
• Representative Michael R. Bergan (R – IA House, District 63): Bergan has long supported early education and childcare initiatives and serves on the Early Childhood Iowa State Board. He has opposed legislation that would make it more difficult for children and families to access public assistance programs.
• Representative Chad Ingels (R – IA House, District 68): Ingels, a farmer and business owner, has defended Iowans’ access to hunger-prevention programs including SNAP and WIC. He has made improving the affordability and accessibility of childcare in rural Iowa and increasing access to locally grown foods priorities.
• Representative Tracy Ehlert (D – IA House, District 79): Ehlert is an award-winning early childhood educator with a background in business, child development and early childhood education, and has consistently prioritized reforms and investments in Iowa’s early childhood education system. 

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Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) was created in 2014 as the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, to be the political voice for kids. We work to ensure that issues critical to children’s lives and futures are given top priority by elected leaders, building support to make sure every child has a strong start in life. 

Learn more about SCAN at savethechildrenactionnetwork.org⁠. 

Paid for by Save the Children Action Network, 899 North Capitol Street NE, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20002; Mark Shriver, Executive Director. Not authorized by any candidate, candidate’s committee, or ballot issue committee.

Media Contact: media@savechildren.org