Josh Turek Wins Iowa Senate Race, Beating Ashley Hinson for Joni Ernst's Open Seat

Democrat Josh Turek has won Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat, defeating Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, according to a race call by the Associated Press late Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Turek will replace retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. He is the first Democrat elected to the Senate from Iowa since 2008, The Guardian reported, and his win ends more than a decade of Republicans holding both of the state’s Senate seats, according to NPR.

Why the Iowa Senate race mattered

Iowa voted for Donald Trump all three times he was on the ballot, and Trump carried the state by 13 points in 2024, NPR noted. The seat opened when Ernst announced last fall that she would not seek a third term.

Hinson, a former TV journalist who represents a Cedar Rapids-based House district, was considered the early front-runner and received Trump’s endorsement shortly after entering the race. But as Trump’s approval ratings fell, the contest tightened, and by summer it was rated a toss-up, NPR reported.

The Guardian described the result as a significant step in Democrats’ effort to win back the Senate majority and a sign the party may be regaining ground with rural voters.

Who is Josh Turek?

• State lawmaker: Turek is a state representative from Council Bluffs who represents a right-leaning district, according to NPR and The Guardian.
• Paralympian: He is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball. He uses a wheelchair because of spina bifida, a condition he has linked to his father’s exposure to Agent Orange in the Vietnam War, NPR reported.
• Primary winner: He was a relatively little-known legislator when he beat former state Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls for the Democratic nomination in June.
• “Prairie populist”: Turek used that label for himself and pitched himself as a successor to longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin, who retired in 2015.

What decided the race

Turek campaigned heavily on health care. He attacked Hinson for supporting Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which NPR said reduces Medicaid spending nationwide by nearly $1 trillion, and questioned how much her personal wealth had grown while in Washington.

Iowa’s farm economy was also central. NPR and The Guardian both reported that tariffs had hurt the state’s agriculture industry, including the soybean market, and that the Iran war pushed up diesel, fuel and fertilizer prices. The state’s high cancer rates became another campaign issue.

Turek also tried to avoid cultural fights that have hurt other Democrats. The Guardian reported that a late ad in which he objected to girls playing in boys’ sports and “taxpayers paying for sex changes” drew condemnation from LGBTQ+ groups.

Hinson called Turek “too liberal for Iowa,” according to The Guardian, but appears to have been weighed down by Trump’s low approval ratings and frustration over prices.

Money in the race

It was one of the most expensive Senate contests in the country. Federal data show the two candidates together raised more than $30 million, and outside groups spent more than $100 million, according to OpenSecrets figures cited by NPR. Turek significantly outraised Hinson in the final quarter.

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