Republican Candidate Sued by Parents Over $275K in Unpaid Rent
A Republican candidate running for lieutenant governor of Iowa is being sued by his own parents. Here is a look at the lawsuit and what the GOP camp is saying about their candidate.
Iowa GOP Candidate Being Sued by His Parents for Unpaid Rent
Derek Wulf is being sued by his parents for over $275,000. Wulf's parents, Duane and Jackie Wulf, claim that their son owes them this money in unpaid farm rent. According to the court petition, the 45-year-old Wulf stopped paying rent two years ago on the farmland owned by his parents, both in their 80s.
The petition was filed on October 20, just ahead of the crucial November 3 election. According to the Des Moines Register, the petition demands repayment of the rent and also accuses Wulf of lying about his assets in a formal financial document submitted to a lender.
Wulf's parents are not the only people suing him. Eight people and companies have also reportedly sued him and his company, Shallow Creek Land & Livestock. All of the litigation has come since 2023, with all but one of the lawsuits settled. The only lawsuit still ongoing involves WCF Financial Bank. The Register reported that the bank accuses Wulf of being over a year behind on his credit payments.
Reaction to the Lawsuit
Wulf's running mate, gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn, has continued to defend him against the accusations. According to a report in The New Republic, Lahn said that the family conflict is a result of Duane Wulf's poor health. However, both of Wulf's parents call these claims "categorically false."
Lahn told Sioux County Radio that his running mate's financial difficulties simply demonstrate the pressures that are impacting the agricultural industry across Iowa. He told the station that “I think that what we’re looking at here is a larger issue within the constructs of what’s going on in agriculture, where you have people selling products below the cost of production often."
Lahn went on to defend Wulf by saying, “When you look at his specific situation, you have a bank that was overextended on its federal legal lending limit, pulls his line of credit, having not ever missed a payment or been late on a payment. And then had this cascade happen, which would happen to just about any farmer that was in that situation.”
In addition to the controversy surrounding Wulf about the unpaid rent, things are looking dire for him on the campaign trail as well. A poll conducted by New River Strategies and GS Strategy Group between October 9 and 13 showed Lahn and Wulf trailing the Democratic candidate by about 11 points. This is significant as President Donald Trump easily won the state of Iowa by 13 points in the 2024 presidential election. Iowa is known for being a red state, making it notable that Lahn and Wulf are having problems against the Democratic nominee, Rob Sand.
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