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Gov.-elect Rob Sand has named Abe Rakov as his first chief of staff as he prepares to take office in January.

The appointment comes as Sand, a Democrat, builds out his transition team after defeating Republican Zach Lahn in the Nov. 3 election.

Sand announced Rakov’s hiring Nov. 9 at his first news conference as governor.

“He’s always been someone, to me, that has been a trusted adviser and someone genuinely interested in public service and getting good things done,” Sand said.

In a statement, Rakov said he’s “honored by the trust Gov.-elect Rob Sand has put in me to serve as chief of staff for the people of Iowa.”

“Throughout my career, I’ve gained invaluable experiences across sectors of public service, advocacy and government that prepared me to take on this role, and am grateful for the trust Gov.-elect Sand and Lt. Gov.-elect (Dave) Muhlbauer have put in me to help them get Iowa back on track,” he said. “I look forward to getting to work to serve all Iowans across the state and working with Republicans, independents and Democrats to get it done.”

Here’s what to know about Rakov.

Rob Sand said he first met Abe Rakov in 2018

Sand said he and Rakov got to know each other in 2018 when Sand was running his first campaign for state auditor and Rakov was working in Iowa as executive director of the national voting rights organization Let America Vote.

Sand praised Rakov’s work in the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office under former Democratic Secretary of State Jason Kander. Rakov worked as deputy secretary of state and chief of staff in the office from 2013-15, where Sand said he oversaw about 250 employees.

“He was dealing with divided government at that time,” Sand said. “They were able to get quite a bit of stuff done through the Legislature, and so he’s got experience working across the aisle. And I’ve known Abe and kept in touch with him since then.”

Abe Rakov worked in the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office

Rakov worked as campaign manager for Kander’s successful 2012 run for Missouri Secretary of State before taking the chief of staff and deputy secretary of state role in the office.

A biography of Rakov provided by Sand’s transition team said, “he worked to vastly expand online business filing options and create programs to promote entrepreneurship, oversaw the state’s Securities Division that ordered the payment of more than $83 million in restitution and helped move the state into the top 10 in election administration rankings.”

“He also led a legislative portfolio that resulted in passing bipartisan bills that promoted entrepreneurship opportunities for veterans, prevented scam artists from draining Missouri seniors’ accounts through financial exploitation, expanded the Safe at Home address confidentiality program for survivors of domestic violence and provided an exemption to family farm corporations from filing annual paperwork,” the bio said.

Rakov then worked as the campaign manager for Kander’s unsuccessful 2016 U.S. Senate campaign, where Kander came up just short in his effort to unseat Republican U.S. Sen. Roy Blunt.

He spent four months as the minority staff director at the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee, leaving in March 2017.

Along with Kander, Rakov co-founded Let America Vote, which pushed back on voting restrictions and requirements around the country. He served as the group’s executive director from March 2017 through June 2019.

Abe Rakov worked on presidential campaigns for Beto O’Rourke, Deval Patrick

Rakov worked for former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign as a senior adviser and early states director from June through November 2019.

After O’Rourke dropped out of the presidential race in November 2019, Rakov was named campaign manager for former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick as he ran for president.

Since 2018, Rakov has been a consultant at Raycove Strategies, according to his LinkedIn page.

From October 2022 through May 2024, he worked as chief impact officer at Run For Something, an organization that recruits and supports young progressive candidates for office.

Rakov graduated from Northwestern University and has an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, according to the bio provided by Sand’s transition team.

“He lives with his husband, Jake, and their rescue dog, Kip,” the bio says.

Des Moines Register Chief Politics Reporter Brianne Pfannenstiel contributed to this report.

Stephen Gruber-Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com, by phone at 515-284-8169 or on X at @sgrubermiller.

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