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Nov 3, 2026 · open seat

Iowa — U.S. Senate

⭐ One of the eight competitive races expected to decide control of the Senate. Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring, leaving this seat open. Iowa hasn't elected a Democratic senator since 2008.

Josh Turek
Josh Turek
Democrat · Age 47

State representative from Council Bluffs and two-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball.

Campaign website →
Ashley Hinson
Ashley Hinson
Republican · Age 43

U.S. representative since 2021 and former TV news anchor from Marion. Endorsed by President Trump.

Campaign website →
Who's ahead? CookTOSS-UPSabatoTOSS-UPDDHQTOSS-UP
Ratings: Cook Political Report (Oct 6), Sabato’s Crystal Ball (Sept 22), Decision Desk HQ (Aug 5). Source → Sabato Sept 22 update →
Turek
50
Hinson
42
Marist, Sept 17–20, 1,050 registered voters, ±4.4. Emerson (Aug 31–Sept 1) had Hinson up 50–45 → Sept 17–20

Where they stand

Tap a topic that's important to you.

TUREK SAYS
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HINSON SAYS
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Money & campaign finance

Where each candidate stands on campaign-finance questions.

TUREK
HINSON
Yes Ban Congress from trading stocks Yes
No Takes corporate PAC money Not stated

Republicans point to a contribution from an NEA-connected PAC registered with the FEC as a corporation PAC; Turek says he takes no corporate PAC money.

Sources: Turek platform · Hinson campaigns on a ban (Turek statement)

Fundraising
RAISEDCASH ON HANDUNDER-$200 DONORS
Josh Turek
$6.3M$2.4M43% of receipts
Ashley Hinson
$10.2M$6.7M10% of receipts

Campaign committee totals for the 2025–26 cycle, through June 30, 2026. Under-$200 share is unitemized individual contributions divided by total receipts. FEC filings →

Their big promises

TUREK'S TOP 3
Protect Medicaid & rural hospitals
Reverse Medicaid cuts and keep Iowa's rural hospitals and nursing homes open.
Lower everyday costs
Cheaper prescriptions, childcare, and housing for working families.
Money out of politics
Ban congressional stock trading and overturn Citizens United.
HINSON'S TOP 3
Cut taxes & spending
Make the Trump tax cuts permanent and rein in federal spending.
Secure the border
Back the administration's border enforcement and deportation agenda.
Champion Iowa agriculture
Expand ethanol and biofuels, and open new export markets for Iowa farmers.

Agree or differ?

Ethanol & biofuels support
Both back year-round E15 and a strong renewable fuel standard — a near-universal position in Iowa politics
AGREE
The 2025 Medicaid cuts
Hinson voted for the budget law that cut Medicaid · Turek, who relied on Medicaid growing up, has made reversing it his central issue
DIFFER
Making the Trump tax cuts permanent
Hinson: yes, a signature promise · Turek: opposes extending cuts for the wealthiest
DIFFER
Farm bill & crop insurance funding
Both support a full farm bill with strong crop insurance for Iowa producers
AGREE
Broad tariffs on imports
Hinson defends the administration's tariff strategy · Turek says tariffs cost Iowa farmers their export markets
DIFFER
Abortion
Turek supports restoring Roe-era protections · Hinson opposes abortion, with limited exceptions
DIFFER

Their stories

JOSH TUREK
1979Born in Council Bluffs with spina bifida; has used a wheelchair his whole life.
2016Won Paralympic gold in wheelchair basketball in Rio, then again in Tokyo.
2022Elected to the Iowa House from a Trump-won district — by six votes.
2026Won the Democratic primary with 62.6% over state Sen. Zach Wahls.
ASHLEY HINSON
2004Began a decade-plus career as a TV news anchor at KCRG in Cedar Rapids.
2016Elected to the Iowa House from Marion.
2020Flipped a U.S. House seat, unseating a Democratic incumbent; re-elected twice.
2026With Trump's endorsement, won the GOP primary with 73.9% after Ernst retired.

The backstory

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring, and Iowa has voted Republican lately, so this seat looked safe for her party. Democrats haven’t won a Senate race here since 2008. In a tough year for Republicans, though, forecasters have moved it toward Democrats.

Both nominees had easy primaries in June. Rep. Ashley Hinson, a Republican congresswoman, won with Trump’s endorsement, and state Rep. Josh Turek beat a fellow Democratic lawmaker.

It’s now one of the most expensive races in the country, with more than $90 million in ads through September. Turek’s main attack is that Hinson got rich in Congress, pointing to her husband’s sale of his insurance agency. Hinson calls that a lie and hits Turek for missing most of his votes in the Iowa House this year, which PolitiFact confirmed.

Trump hangs over everything. Hinson broke with him this fall by calling for an end to the Iran war, and Turek keeps pointing to her House votes against limiting it.

They held their second and final debate on October 13. Election Day is November 3.

Sources

  1. Josh Turek · campaign website
  2. Ashley Hinson · campaign website
  3. 2026 United States Senate election in Iowa · Wikipedia (primary results, ratings)
  4. Iowa 2026 Poll: Hinson leads Turek · Emerson College Polling, September 2026
  5. Hinson trails Turek by 8 points in new Iowa Senate poll · The Hill (Marist poll), Sept 22, 2026
  6. Iowa Senate: Turek leads by 5 points · Rasmussen Reports, Sept 11, 2026
  7. Turek, Hinson talk legislative track records at US Senate debate · Iowa Capital Dispatch, Oct 7, 2026
  8. Hinson, Turek tangle in final Iowa Senate debate · The Hill, Oct 14, 2026
  9. Fact-checking Hinson, Turek on missed votes and ‘shadow lobbyist’ · PolitiFact, Oct 14, 2026
  10. Michigan Senate hopeful Rogers distances himself from Trump (Hinson on Iran) · Axios, Oct 7, 2026
  11. Federal Election Commission · candidate fundraising summaries
Positions summarized from campaign websites, voting records, and news reports (July 2026) · race data updated September 2026
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