Rob Sand held his first rally on Sunday. He is the official Democratic nominee for Iowa governor. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear joined him in Des Moines. Democrats try to flip the seat. Sand faces Republican Zach Lahn. This race could be one of the nation’s most close governor races.

Sand told supporters they build a group of “the well-fed versus the fed-up.” He said it is not red versus blue. He said Iowa needs a new way. Iowa has a budget deficit. Iowa has a weak farm economy. Iowa has a cancer crisis. A few hundred people came. They waved signs and cheered.

The race comes as Iowa has open contests for governor and U.S. senator. This is the first time since 1968. Democrats still trail Republicans by about 200,000 registered voters statewide. Sand and Senate candidate Josh Turek say they can win independents. They also say they can win frustrated Republicans.

Lahn rejects Sand’s nonpartisan message. He calls Sand a liberal. He says Sand pretends to be moderate. Sand and Lahn both use green in campaign materials. They say they are not tied to party leaders. Beshear said he is “all in” for Sand. He said Democrats can win in red states.