In-debt GOP candidate faces $275k bill from his elderly parents for 'unpaid rent': report

On Tuesday, just days before voters head to the polls, the Republican nominee to be Iowa’s next lieutenant governor suffered the indignity of being sued by his parents for stiffing them on rent.

The parents of state lawmaker Derek Wulf (R-IA) have publicly asked for $275,000 in what they say is unpaid rent, the Daily Beast reported. Duane and Judy Wulf, 83 and 82, say their 45-year-old son owes them the money on 83 acres of farmland "he stopped paying for in 2024," according to the Des Moines Register, which the Daily Beast cited. They filed a court petition Tuesday, joining "a list of creditors seeking repayment" from him.

The parents filed the request in a lawsuit brought by WCF Financial Bank, which is seeking to foreclose on Wulf’s farm, Little Village reported. The parents terminated the lease in July and filed a lien in August, according to the outlet. Their attorney, Matt Craft, said the family has tried for a long time to resolve the matter privately, adding that the parents “are very private individuals and are embarrassed at the mess this has caused many good people in a very public way.”

Wulf already faces lawsuits over unpaid debts and a criminal investigation into whether some collateral used to "secure a loan was illegally disposed of," the Daily Beast reported.

Gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn’s campaign has disputed the parents’ claim. Spokesperson Dan Capodilupo said Wulf “has made every payment to date,” Little Village reported. The parents’ attorney called those statements “categorically false.”

Lahn defended his running mate last week, saying the scrutiny is political. “I would just say that a lot of the fire that has been aimed at my lieutenant governor, I believe, is politically motivated,” Lahn said in a recording published by Storm Lake Radio. “There was a so-called investigation that was done, and it wrapped up and concluded without ever talking to my lieutenant governor. Never even spoke to him. That’s not an investigation. And if you dig into who’s in charge there, you’ll figure out why.”

The latest controversy comes as Lahn trails in the polls. An October poll sponsored by Cook Political Report had Democrat Rob Sand 11 points ahead in a state Trump won by 13 points in 2024, and a YouGov survey gave Sand a 6-point lead.

Raw Story has reported that Lahn is also facing questions about whether he lives in Iowa, which his campaign disputes.