CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Anne Taylor recently visited the Raygun store in Cedar Rapids for an early Christmas gift, but came away empty-handed.
Her hopes for “The Governor wears Prada” T-shirt she intended to buy were moved online, as the wildly popular shirts were unavailable at the shop in New Bohemia, 1028 Third St. SE.
“They have them in stock (online) and hopefully it will be sent to me soon via express mail,” Taylor said after her trip to Raygun, self described as “The Greatest Store in the Universe.”
Iowa gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand answers questions from the media on Sept. 23, 2026, before speaking to a crowd of more than 1,000 people in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The Cedar Rapids woman isn’t the only one searching for the elusive T-shirts, which reflect the somewhat surprising tidbit about Iowa governor-elect Rob Sand, who helped pay his way through college by working as an international model.
“We can’t print enough,” said Hailey Held, manager of the Cedar Rapids Raygun store, adding she hoped they would be in stock in Cedar Rapids by the end of this week. “They haven’t even made it to the store yet. We can’t keep up with demand.”
Held said the yellow T-shirts — with images of Iowa, a pitchfork and ear of corn — haven’t quite overtaken the best-selling “We all are going to die” shirts, which went viral after Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst made the comment during a town hall in 2025.
The top-selling “We All Are Going to Die” shirts are shown at the Raygun store in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Ernst, who decided against running this November, will be replaced by Senator-elect Josh Turek, a Democrat.
Sand is among other Democrats who flipped Iowa elected offices on Nov. 3, 2026.
His campaign embraced what was initially intended to be a Republican attack by printing their own “My Model Governor” T-shirts, available at store.robsand.com
Italian Vogue photo from the Rob Sand for Iowa Facebook page.
“I’m disappointed to learn images of me modeling for Prada are circulating,” Sand, who walked runways in Paris and Milan, posted on the Rob Sand for Iowa Facebook page. “Because this shot from Italian Vogue is much better.”
Sand, who served as state auditor before being elected governor, graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in political science and from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2010.
Taylor said she had posted something about Sand’s work as an international runway model long before the election, but friends convinced her it was an AI fake.
A sign at the Cedar Rapids Raygun store notes Rob Sand’s past work as a model for Prada.
She feels somewhat vindicated now that his modeling work in the early 2000s has become better known, with after-election features in Vogue and other publications.
“I think he has the potential to be a good governor,” Taylor said.
Blake Graves, who also was doing some early holiday shopping at Raygun, agreed.
“I would love to have one of the shirts,” the Cedar Rapids man said. “I think he’ll be great for Iowa.”
More: Record campaign turnout for Rob Sand in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
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