Republican Iowa gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn accused the establishment media of helping voters forget what is at stake, speaking at a Make Iowa Healthy Again rally in Clive on October 28, six days before the November 3 midterm elections.
The rally, hosted by MAHA PAC at the Des Moines suburb's venue, drew at least 500 people in the front of the room with many more standing in the back, according to Breitbart News, which first reported the event. Speakers included Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Steak 'n Shake Chief MAHA Officer Michael Boes, Republican candidates, elected officials, and health, consumer, and agricultural advocates.
Boes: Trump Empowered MAHA Efforts Every Day
Boes, a former senior adviser at the Department of Health and Human Services, told the crowd the press will never tell the real story of the administration's health agenda.
“I want to tell a little story about what the media will never portray,” Boes said. “When I went into the admin, I watched Secretary Kennedy fight for the health of Americans and the health of American children every single day. We are taking on the most powerful special interests that you can imagine, with our backs against the wall.”
“And on top of that, President Trump, despite whatever you read in the media, he empowered us every single day. It was incredible. I mean, we flipped the damn food pyramid. It was pretty remarkable,” Boes continued. Boes has described the MAHA movement as a “catalyst for a monumental shift,” RamaOnHealthcare reported.
Lahn Calls COVID Vaccine Fight a Pro-Life Issue
Lahn, who won the Republican nomination for governor, told attendees the media deserves most of the blame for public amnesia about the past, with a few exceptions.
“Even with the fake news here, I'm going to say this. There's a couple of good ones,” Lahn said.
“The fight to pull the COVID vaccine off the market is a pro-life issue,” he declared, drawing a standing ovation, chants of his name, and waving Make Iowa Healthy Again and Make America Healthy Again signs.
“I don't believe that the ideas in this movement are radical,” Lahn added.
The candidate recalled an exchange with a reporter earlier that day who asked whether his speech would address culture or health. “I said, 'You don't get it. They're the same thing,'” Lahn said.
Clean Water and the Next Generation
Lahn framed the push for clean water in Iowa as part of the same pro-life commitment.
“The fight to have clean water in our state. It's a pro-life issue. It's a fight to make sure people can live long, healthy lives,” he said.
“For a very long time, we've had this fight to protect the lives of the unborn, and we've largely forgotten about this fight,” Lahn continued. “An unborn child could be anything, do anything, solve anything, love anyone.”
He argued that protecting long, healthy lives also protects human wisdom. “You cannot know where you want to go if you forget where you've been,” Lahn said.
“There's no way to put this group in a box that doesn't exist,” he said of the movement. “It's way deeper than politics. It's about the next generation.”
Lahn Remembers Charlie Kirk and Warns Against Forgetting
Toward the end of his speech, Lahn recalled a funeral where a woman's son warned that one of the greatest sins is the sin of forgetting.
“I think the media likes to help us have amnesia about what's at stake and where we've been,” Lahn said.
He noted two groups endorsed him in the primary: MAHA supporters and an organization started by his longtime friend Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who died 13 months ago. “13 months ago, my friend's life was taken from us. It was just 13 months ago,” Lahn said.
“People ask me all the time, 'How can we help?' I'm gonna tell you right now how you can help. We have six days until the election. We have six days to make sure that the people that might be thinking, sitting out this midterm, decide to get into the race,” Lahn said.
The Stakes on November 3
Lahn said Iowans want lower prices and an end to wars, but the deeper fight is over the culture itself.
“The left has known this for a very long time. They have known that they're in a battle for the institutions of our culture. We are waking up to that battle,” he said.
“I believe on November 3rd of this year, in the state of Iowa, we are going to send a message that Iowa is not for sale. That we are here for the next generation, and we are going to prioritize them over these groups that seek to exploit and extract from the state of Iowa,” Lahn concluded. “And I'm asking you for your vote and your support.”
Contrast With Rob Sand
Lahn's message built on his remarks at a recent gubernatorial debate against Democrat Rob Sand, the Iowa state auditor. There, Lahn warned of an “attack on many of the institutions of Western culture,” including businesses, government, churches, and families.
He advocated protecting girls' sports, keeping age-inappropriate books addressing transgender topics out of elementary schools, safeguarding unborn children, and supporting victims of human trafficking. “We protect the most vulnerable in our society,” Lahn said at the debate.
Sand opposed a February 2025 bill defining sex as “either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth,” calling it “legalizing discrimination.” The Iowa Democratic Party has also attacked Lahn over his residency history, claiming Iowans “don't know and don't trust” him after his time in Kansas, according to the party.
Lahn's campaign messaging has drawn scrutiny elsewhere as well. A Substack analysis examined his TV advertisement claiming the curriculum of schools serving 9 out of 10 Iowa kids has been “hijacked” by Marxists.
What Happens Next
Iowans head to the polls on November 3 to decide the governor's race and other contests. Lahn closed the Clive rally with a direct appeal to supporters to spend the final six days turning out voters who might otherwise sit out the midterm.
FAQ
When was the Make Iowa Healthy Again rally held?
MAHA PAC hosted the “Get Out the Vote Rally” in Clive, Iowa on October 28, 2025, six days before the November 3 midterm elections.
Who spoke at the Clive rally?
Speakers included Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Republican gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn, Steak 'n Shake Chief MAHA Officer Michael Boes, and a lineup of Republican candidates, elected officials, and health, consumer, and agricultural advocates.
What did Lahn say about the media?
Lahn accused the press of helping voters develop amnesia about what is at stake and where the country has been, while acknowledging there are “a couple of good ones” in the media.