Democrat Josh Turek defeated Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) in a tightly contested race for Iowa’s open Senate seat, giving Democrats the 51st seat in the upper chamber.
The race was called for Turek by the Associated Press at 11:35 p.m., with Turek leading Hinson by 50.8% to 46.1% at the time of the call.
Hinson and Turek ran to replace outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a strong ally of President Donald Trump. Turek’s victory gives the Democratic Party a key spot in the Senate in their attempt to gain control of the legislature.
Trump won Iowa handily all three times since his first election in 2016. He won the state by more than 13 percentage points in 2024. Iowa had not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008.
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However, Iowans began to sour on Trump 2.0 following the rise in gasoline and diesel prices as a result of the war in Iran and tariffs closing off foreign markets for agricultural exports.
Hinson, 43, served in the Iowa state legislature before being elected to the U.S. House in 2020. Before politics, she was a reporter and news anchor for more than a decade in the Cedar Rapids area.
During the latter half of the campaign, Hinson attempted to distinguish herself from Trump’s record, criticizing his deal with Russia to import diesel and instead advocating reduced restrictions on ethanol production.
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Turek, by contrast, ran as what he calls a “prairie populist,” focusing on economic issues that affect voters in Iowa’s urban centers and rural agricultural areas. Turek was endorsed by the Iowa Farmers Union as a “Friend of the Family Farmer,” in large part because of his promises to combat agriculture consolidation and expand access to rural healthcare.
Turek, 47, is a three-time gold medal-winning Paralympic basketball player for the U.S. Turek has spina bifida, which he attributes to his father’s exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. He is a lifelong wheelchair user and was the Iowa legislature’s first permanently disabled lawmaker after being elected in 2022.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
