Ethics panel to dismiss complaint against Wahls without more evidence

An Iowa Senate committee voted to dismiss a complaint against state Sen. Zach Wahls in 120 days unless further evidence emerges to support allegations he violated Iowa Senate ethics rules governing outside employment.

Kathy Ulrich, a supporter of state Rep. Josh Turek, filed the complaint April 30. Turek is competing with Wahls for the Democratic U.S. Senate nomination. The primary is June 2 and early voting is underway.

The Senate Ethics Committee voted 6-0 on Friday, May 22, to "notify the complainant that no further action will be taken and the complaint will be dismissed unless further substantiating information is produced within 120 days."

Wahls characterized the committee's vote as a win, although an earlier motion to dismiss the complaint immediately failed in a 3-3 vote along party lines.

"This baseless complaint brought by the Turek campaign was unanimously dismissed by the bipartisan Iowa Senate Ethics Committee," Wahls said in a statement. "The Turek campaign is worried the $10 million that Chuck Schumer’s dark money network is spending to try and buy Josh the Senate nomination won’t be enough. I thank the committee for quickly resolving this matter."

A spokesperson for Turek's campaign declined to comment.

Complaint criticizes Wahls' work for The Next 50

At issue in the complaint is Wahls' past employment as executive director of The Next 50 Network LLC in 2024 and 2025 while serving as a state senator.

The Iowa Senate's ethics rules state: "A senator shall not accept employment, either directly or indirectly, from a political action committee or from an organization exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6) or 527 of the Internal Revenue Code that engages in activities related to the nomination, election or defeat of a candidate for public office."

While The Next 50 Network LLC is a limited liability company, the group has an affiliated nonprofit called Next 50 Action and a political action committee called Next 50 PAC. Wahls served as a nonvoting, ex-officio officer for Next 50 Action.

The complaint notes that Next 50 Action's Iowa address is the same as Wahls' home address.

"Throughout his tenure at the prohibited organizations, Wahls performed duties expressly prohibited by Iowa Senate ethics rules, including performing 'activities related to the nomination, election or defeat of a candidate for public office,'" the complaint said.

Wahls' lawyer calls complaint 'political mudslinging'

Wahls' lawyer, Matthew Gannon, wrote in a response that the complaint was filed in the final days of the 2026 legislative session — a year after Wahls resigned from The Next 50 Network, LLC and just a month before Iowa's June 2 primary election.

"This complaint is a frivolous accusation that carries the stain of political mudslinging more than concern for the ethical rules of the Senate," Gannon wrote.

Gannon said Wahls was employed solely by The Next 50 Network LLC, not by Next 50 Action.

Wahls provided correspondence showing he sought guidance from Secretary of the Senate Charlie Smithson in 2023 before accepting the job to ensure he was following the Senate's ethics rules.

On Oct. 16, 2023, Smithson wrote that, "In this situation, I believe that your 'employment' is strictly with the LLC and not with the 501(c)(4) or the PAC. Any type of 'employment agreement' is between you and the LLC and not between you and the other entities attached/overseen by the LLC."

Smithson wrote that Wahls "will need to create a firewall" to avoid running into conflicts with The Next 50 PAC and his job duties.

Wahls argued he did so by asking The Next 50 PAC not to endorse or contribute to Iowa candidates while Wahls was the group's executive director.

Blair Schuman, a compliance officer at The Next 50, wrote in a letter to the Senate Ethics Committee that while Wahls was employed by the organization, "it was the policy of The Next 50, at the explicit request of Senator Wahls, not to provide any financial contributions or endorsements to candidates for office in the state of Iowa."

Schuman said all decisions about the PAC's candidate endorsements and contributions were made by the PAC's board of directors, which did not include Wahls.

Gannon wrote that the definition of "political action committee" in Iowa law refers to organizations that raise or spend money to influence state or local elections in Iowa.

He pointed to Iowa Code section 68A.102(20), which defines "public office" as "any state, county, city or school office to be filled by election."

"Sen. Wahls was not employed by a political action committee," Gannon wrote. "None of the political committees associated with Sen. Wahls’s employer made a contribution or expenditure in support of or opposition to any candidate in any race in Iowa. Accordingly, the complaint must be dismissed."

Stephen Gruber-Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at [email protected], by phone at 515-284-8169 or on X at @sgrubermiller.