Democrat Josh Turek wins Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat, AP projects

Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson in the U.S. Senate race Tuesday, the Associated Press has projected, becoming the first Democrat since former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin was in office.

Unofficial results show Turek with nearly 51% of the vote and Hinson with 46% with 92% of Iowa’s precincts reporting.

Turek will join longtime U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican, in the Senate, filling the seat left by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who chose not to seek a third term in office.

Though early political forecasts showed Hinson, a U.S. representative, having a strong lead in Iowa, the race gained more attention — and investment — as the election drew near. President Donald Trump rallied for Hinson and other GOP candidates in Iowa twice ahead of Election Day. According to an analysis by KCCI, the race was drawing roughly $4.6 million in political spending per day near the end of the election cycle.

Attacks against Hinson claimed that the Republican had enriched herself during her time in Washington, D.C. representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, and criticized her public commitment and votes on banning members of Congress from stock trading while retaining private stock in an insurance company founded and sold by her husband. The candidate said she and her husband sold their publicly traded stocks after she first took office in 2021.

Many of opposition run against Turek, a state representative, focused on him missing votes during his time in the Iowa Legislature. An analysis of voting records, Turek missed 58% of Iowa House votes this year, but his campaign said he took 81% of votes since first taking office in 2023. While Turek has presented himself as a moderate, many ads also claimed he aligned closely with Democrats on issues relating to transgender youth and athletes, as well as immigration — claims Turek denied in his own ads.

Before serving in the Iowa House representing Council Bluffs, Turek was a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, winning in 2016 and 2020 as a member of the U.S. wheelchair basketball team. Turek, who was born with spina bifida, became the first permanently disabled member of the Iowa Legislature as he won election in 2022 by a margin of 6 votes after a recount.

Hinson has represented northeast Iowa in the U.S. House since her first victory in 2020. Before her time in federal office, she served as a state representative from 2017 to 2021, and was previously a news anchor for KCRG-TV. She has two sons and has presented herself as a “minivan-driving mom” on the campaign trail.

Hinson said in a concession speech to supporters her campaign was for all of the U.S. citizens who need help from their government.

“Our veterans need a lot of help too, our students, our young people need a lot of help and the millions across this country who are expecting more results out of Washington, D.C., and that’s what this campaign was all about, that’s who this campaign was really for, and while tonight’s outcome wasn’t the one we wanted, I’m so deeply proud of our campaign’s fight and I’m just eternally grateful to everyone who helped make that happen,” Hinson said.

Thomas Laehn, a Libertarian currently serving as Greene County Attorney, was also on the ballot for the U.S. Senate seat. Laehn received just over 3% of votes in the race, according to preliminary results.