Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek secured a win in the Senate primary on Tuesday, marking a triumph for national Democrats who supported him in their bid to capture this pivotal seat.
He will go head-to-head with Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee, in what has become one of the most closely watched Senate races nationwide, as both parties vie for dominance in the upper chamber.
Turek, known for his achievements as a wheelchair basketball player with two Paralympic gold medals, overcame state Sen. Zach Wahls in a turbulent primary. This contest became a battleground between the Democratic Party’s leadership and its anti-establishment faction. Wahls often claimed that Turek was under the influence of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who, despite not formally endorsing, saw his leadership PAC fully fund Turek’s campaign. Additionally, outside groups like VoteVets poured over $10 million into advertising for Turek, exceeding three times the combined spending of Turek’s and Wahls’ campaigns.
Ultimately, this financial backing, combined with Turek’s “prairie populism” message that emphasized supporting the working class, led to his victory.
Within Iowa, Turek garnered substantial support from Democrats, including Tom Harkin, the last Democrat to represent Iowa in the U.S. Senate. As the general election approaches, he finds himself in a close race with Hinson, with preprimary polling indicating a statistical tie between the two.
The Democrats have not sent a senator to Washington since 2008, when Harkin was elected for his final term. However, they see this election cycle as a promising chance due to a struggling economy and increasing dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s tariffs, which have wreaked havoc on Iowa’s agriculture industry.
Turek, who was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022, is no stranger to challenging races. In his initial election, he narrowly defeated a Republican challenger by just six votes.
