Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist, is running as a Democrat for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat against Republican Representative Ashley Hinson in a race with implications for Senate control.
Iowa’s Republican tilt makes him an unusual contender, but Democrats see him as one of their few plausible pickup opportunities in a state that has grown difficult for the party.
Turek is pitching himself as a “common-sense prairie populist,” stressing crossover appeal rather than ideological purity in a polarized environment.
His biography reinforces that message: he says he once voted for George W. Bush, has backed Republicans at times, and would work with anyone, including President Trump.