Iowa's US Senate race set as Josh Turek, Ashley Hinson win primaries

State Rep. Josh Turek defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls to win Iowa's Democratic U.S. Senate nomination, setting up a contest with Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in November.

The Associated Press called the race for Turek at 8:42 p.m. on Tuesday, June 2. With 94% of the vote counted, Turek led Wahls 62% to 38%.

The race — Iowa's first open U.S. Senate contest since 2014 — has drawn national attention after Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s decision not to run for reelection. Both Republicans and Democrats plan to spend heavily in Iowa this fall to boost their candidates.

"In no other country on earth could someone born into a working-class family from Council Bluffs, Iowa, who went to the Goodwill, shared clothes, had the wrong color lunch ticket, who was born with my disability of spina bifida due to my father's exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, who had 21 surgeries before the age of 12, be able to represent the United States in four Paralympic Games and bring home two gold medals and represent their community in the legislature," Turek said in a victory speech in Des Moines.

And now, he added, he's running for the U.S. Senate "to protect that American dream for future generations."

Turek, of Council Bluffs, will face Hinson, who currently represents northeast Iowa's 2nd District in Congress, in the Nov. 3 general election. Hinson handily won the Republican nomination over former state Sen. Jim Carlin, 74% to 26%, according to unofficial results.

Libertarian Thomas Laehn is also running in the November election.

As the race was called for Turek, independent elections analysts at Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted their rating of the race from a "likely Republican" victory to the more competitive "leans Republican."

Turek, who was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, is a two-time gold medalist in basketball at the Paralympic Games representing Team USA. He won his first Iowa House race in 2022 by six votes and won reelection in 2024 by nearly six percentage points even as President Donald Trump carried the district.

He calls former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin his political hero for Harkin's work to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act and has said it will be “beautifully poetic when the man who takes back Sen. Harkin’s seat is only here because of his work.” Harkin endorsed Turek in the primary.

"Thank you, Iowa," Turek said in a statement. "I am deeply grateful to every Iowan who supported my campaign and spread the word about our generational opportunity to win back Senator Tom Harkin’s seat. Right now, Washington is broken because it’s full of millionaires looking out for billionaires, people like Ashley Hinson, who has repeatedly sold out Iowans to benefit herself and her wealthy donors."

Half a dozen Democrats initially launched campaigns for the Senate seat, but by March the race had narrowed to Turek and Wahls, with each candidate making the case that they were best-suited to take on Hinson.

Turek was boosted by more than $10 million in outside spending from VoteVets, a Democratic-aligned PAC, which ran television and digital ads supporting his candidacy. That spending, in the final months of the race, eclipsed spending by both Turek and Wahls over the course of the entire election cycle.

Wahls criticized the effort, which he linked to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Wahls refused to back Schumer as Senate leader, while Turek has not said whether or not he would support Schumer.

VoteVets Senior Advisor Major General (Ret.) Paul Eaton said "veterans across America are proud to congratulate Josh Turek on his decisive victory."

"Josh knows firsthand what it means to fight through adversity," Eaton said. "That’s a quality veterans know well — and we are proud to stand behind him. If elected, he will fight for working families, veterans, and military family members like his own."

The final months of the race saw Turek consolidate support with endorsements from national figures like former U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, Maggie Hassan, Tammy Duckworth, Bob Casey and Ruben Gallego, as well as Harkin.

Buttigieg, a potential 2028 presidential contender, suggested he would campaign with Turek in Iowa soon.

"Something remarkable is happening in Iowa with @turek4iowa's campaign," he said on social media. "Congratulations on earning the nomination, Josh. Looking forward to hitting the trail with you soon."

Ashley Hinson defeats Jim Carlin to win Republican nomination

Hinson, of Marion, is serving her third term in Congress. She won her first term in 2020, defeating a Democratic incumbent to flip the seat to Republican control, and won reelection in 2022 and 2024.

"Voters sent me to Washington to share their stories and be their voice in the fight to make life more affordable, safer and easier for their families," Hinson said in a statement. "My record is one of delivering bipartisan results for Iowans, and that’s exactly what I’ll do in the United States Senate. I’ll work with anyone, from any party, to get things done for Iowa."

Before she was elected to Congress, Hinson served two terms in the Iowa House and previously worked as a television news reporter anchor in Cedar Rapids.

Hinson was the heavy favorite in her contest. She enjoyed a large fundraising lead over Carlin as well as the endorsement of President Donald Trump, Gov. Kim Reynolds and Ernst — the incumbent she is hoping to succeed in the Senate.

Carlin, a former member of the Iowa House and Senate from Sioux City, sought to cast himself as the true conservative in the race.

The election was Carlin's second time running for U.S. Senate. He previously ran against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley in 2022, taking about 26.5% of the primary vote.

Both parties prepare for competitive general election

The open U.S. Senate race is already set to draw millions in spending this fall.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC that elects Republicans to the Senate, has pledged to spend $29 million to support Hinson.

Senate Majority PAC, a Democratic super PAC, has reserved $13.4 million on ads attacking Hinson.

After the primary results were settled, Hinson quickly shifted her focus to Turek, releasing a 15-second digital ad in which the narrator warns voters, "don't be fooled by Josh Turek," and criticizes his stances on gender identity, immigration and taxes.

"Josh Turek: Just as liberal as the rest of them," the ad concludes, showing a picture of Turek next to U.S. Sens. Chuck Schumer and Bernie Sanders and former President Joe Biden.

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters echoed Wahls' attacks tying Turek to Schumer.

"Schumer Schill Josh Turek is a radical leftist and weak candidate who had to be rescued by D.C. Democrats just to win a primary against a nobody," he said in a statement. "He will get crushed at the ballot box by Ashley Hinson, who has proven she is a fighter for Iowa farmers and families."

Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart released a statement attacking Hinson for voting to cut taxes for the wealthy and cut spending on Medicaid.

"Ashley Hinson has spent her time in DC working for herself, not Iowans," Hart said. "She is a multimillionaire who increased her net worth by as much as tenfold during her time in Congress while voting to cut Medicaid, veterans funding and taxes for billionaires. In November, Iowans will hold her accountable for her record of forcing rural hospitals to close, sending the cost of living skyrocketing and plunging the ag economy into a recession."

Des Moines Register reporter Courtney Crowder contributed to this report.

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.