NYT: An Iowa Republican’s Unusual Connection to the Kochs If there is one thing that Zach Lahn, the Republican nominee for governor of Iowa, definitely does not want to talk about, it’s his connection to the Koch family. To hear Mr. Lahn tell it, he is a self-made businessman, a father of seven and a farmer running against powerful corporate interests. He has campaigned on his financial independence, pointing to the $2.5 million he lent himself during the primary. He rode that cash and a right-leaning brand of prairie populism to the nomination, defeating President Trump’s preferred pick in the primary. Now he is facing Rob Sand, the Democratic state auditor, in a race that Democrats view as one of their best shots to flip a governorship. But there is a more complicated tale of Mr. Lahn’s rise that is interwoven with the Kochs, one of America’s richest and most influential political dynasties. nytimes.com/2026/10/25/us/po…