I have a moral obligation to run as an Independent
by Sondra Wilson. Updated August 6, 2025.

There are multiple reasons I switched from running as a Democrat, to instead running as an Independent. Some are listed below, and several others will be added when I have time.

1. Integrity Issues

Although Rob Sand presents himself as a well-meaning candidate, I’m deeply concerned by the absence of a concrete, actionable plan in his campaign. What’s more troubling is the ethical contradiction at the heart of his candidacy: he’s running as a Democrat while his in-laws—who gave him $7 million to launch his campaign—have spent years financially supporting Republican leaders like Kim Reynolds, Randy Feenstra, and Chuck Grassley. These are the same figures responsible for stripping healthcare from thousands of Iowans, violating civil rights, and funneling public funds into private interests.

You can review the documentation yourself at WildWillpower.org. I want to see Iowans have enough self respect that we stop letting the wealthy elite game our democratic elections like this, and pretend it doesn’t matter. That $7 million could have gone toward repairing the harm their political investments helped create. Instead of silence, I believe we need public accountability—and restitution.

These kinds of integrity issues are part of why I left the Democratic Party, and why I suspect many others have as well. It’s time for a new kind of leadership—one that puts people before party and principle before profit.

2. To Restore Iowa’s Judiciary

WHEREAS a fair trial is a basic requirement of due process, guaranteed by both the Sixth and the Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.

WHEREAS a fair trial requires that a neutral and detached judge preside over the proceedings,

WHEREAS just as the defendant’s right to a jury trial encompasses the right to an impartial jury, a defendant has a constitutional right to an impartial judge.

WHEREAS the right to an impartial judge was one of three rights designated as so basic to a fair trial that its infringement could never be treated as harmless error. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24 (1967).

WHEREAS the duty to remain impartial not only requires that the judge be impartial in fact, but that he or she appears unbiased. “[J]ustice … must satisfy the appearance of justice, and this stringent rule may sometimes bar trial [even] by judges who have no actual bias and who would do their very best to weigh the scales of justice equally between contending parties.” Offutt v. United States, 348 S. 11, 348 U. S. 14,

WHEREAS the Iowa Constitution allows the governor to appoint judges from a list of nominees provided by a judicial nominating commission,

WHEREAS a partisan (party) Governor who appoints a judge or justice presents the appearance of partiality on the part of the judge, 

THEREFORE, on this day, July 1, 2025, I have henceforth resolved to run as an independent, non-partisan candidate for Iowa Governor. It is the only way to cast aside all influence when casting appointment of judges, should I be elected for this sacred office. I will update all parts of this website soon, and will amend my Statement of Organization with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board soon. Although here is the Nomination Petition for General Election, there is no point in gathering signatures until I discover my Lieutenant Governor. I shall know them when I find them.

As Justice Black explained: “Fairness… requires an absence of actual bias in the trial of cases. [O]ur system of law has always endeavored to prevent even the probability of unfairness. To this end … no man is permitted to try cases where he has an interest in the outcome.“ In Re Murchison, 349 U.S. 133, 136 (1955).

Additional reasons will be added

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