MANILLA, Iowa — In a converted chicken coop on a farm outside Manilla, Iowa, the story of the state's next lieutenant governor reads like a family heirloom passed down through generations.
Dave Muhlbauer calls it the boat shed — the place where his late father once parked his boat, where neighbors gather for lunch and card games, and where the walls hold the memorabilia of a family that has spent decades in public service.
"This thing used to be an old chicken coop my dad parked his boat in," Muhlbauer shared.
The space is lined with pictures, signs and trinkets dedicated to generations of public service. His grandfather, Louis Muhlbauer, served as a Crawford County commissioner before heading to the Iowa statehouse as a state legislator.
Dave's late father, Dan, later followed the very same path. Both men helped mold the future of the state that Dave will soon serve as second in command.
"This building sums up who we are and that comradery," Muhlbauer said. "It's very personal in here."
In two months, the Sand-Muhlbauer administration will take over the Iowa statehouse. Innauguration events have been announced to take place between January 15-17, 2027.
Growing up in the family business of public service
For Muhlbauer, politics began in childhood. He remembers knocking on doors with his grandfather, Louie, who built a stagecoach pulled by four white horses that the kids would ride through town while campaigning.
"I got to grow up a part of that which is really neat," Muhlbauer said.
Those early lessons stuck. When his father, Dan, sat him down and said he wanted to run for county supervisor and follow in Louie's footsteps, Dave told him to go for it — he'd hold down the farm. Dave watched his father win that seat, and later a spot at the statehouse. When Dave eventually decided to run himself, his father was right behind him, supportive to the end.
"To have his support and advice even as I ran as supervisor is pretty special to me," Muhlbauer said.
Dan Muhlbauer died Oct. 1, 2020. His son remembers a man who was ornery, who loved meeting people from all walks of life and who believed in treating people decently.
"We could butt heads but at the end of the day have a beer together, it's just part of the family farm operation," Muhlbauer said.
The through-line, he says, is a value his role models drilled into him.
"Putting people first matters," Muhlbauer said.
A town that flipped the script
Manilla, with a population just over 700, sits in a historically conservative county — one that Muhlbauer says went roughly 43 points for Donald Trump. Yet voters here backed the Sand-Muhlbauer ticket, something longtime neighbors see as a point of pride.
Roger Kenkel, who lives in Manilla, has watched the family's story unfold since the 1970s, when Louie first went to Des Moines.
"That family has quite a little history in the political world," Kenkel said.
Kenkel said the win came down to the person, not the party.
"This was not about party, it was individuals," Kenkel said. "I felt that with Rob Sand picking Dave as his running mate that he had a very good chance of winning that election, and they did."
For Kenkel, it's a remarkable moment for such a small town.
"If his dad and grandpa were alive they'd be really excited," Kenkel said.
Priorities for day one
With two months until inauguration day, Muhlbauer says there's work to be done to address the state's biggest issues. As a farmer, he sees himself best suited to tackle local governance and agriculture.
"Two big things we want to do off the bat is expand grazing ground," Muhlbauer said. "Not only will that help farmers and have more avenues to bring cows back here, or young farmers to start a herd, we also want to expand wetlands, we know that's mother nature's best way to clean up our waterways."
But before kitchen-table issues like affordability, health care and education can be addressed, Muhlbauer says the administration must first bridge the political divide in Des Moines.
"Once we get in a better spot in fixing our broken political system we'll be in a better spot to tackle all those challenges," Muhlbauer said.
For him, it all comes back to the basics his role models taught him — getting back to the lessons learned in a boat shed on a Manilla, Iowa farm.
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