A 45-year-old Republican candidate in Iowa is being sued by his parents for $275,000 in unpaid rent.
The Des Moines Register reported that the parents of lieutenant governor nominee Derek Wulf allege that he stopped paying rent two years ago on the farmland he rented out from them. A court petition filed Tuesday demands repayment, and also accuses him of lying about his assets in financial documents to a lender
While Wulf has yet to comment, his Trump-endorsed running mate gubernatorial nominee Zach Lahn denied that Wulf owes his parents any money at all—and insinuated that the conflict was spurred by the poor health of Wulf’s father. His parents rejected that, calling the claim “categorically false.”
Duane and Jackie Wulf, 83 and 82 years old, join a long list of creditors demanding repayment from the Republican candidate. Eight people and companies have sued Wulf and his company, Shallow Creek Land & Livestock, since 2023 for payments owed to them. All but one of the lawsuits have been settled. That one is from the WCF Financial Bank, which claims that Wulf is over a year behind on credit payments.
Wulf is a 45-year-old man with a wife and two children running for lieutenant governor. These financial issues are not only embarrassing, but raise alarming questions about how he might abuse a position in office. Hopefully, Iowa will never have to find out. Polls show that he and Lahn are currently trailing Democratic gubernatorial nominee Rob Sand by about 11 points—in a state President Trump won by 13 points two years ago.