Josh Turek Flips Iowa Senate Seat, Beating Ashley Hinson in Trump-Won State by 13 Points
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Nov 4
Josh Turek Flips Iowa Senate Seat, Beating Ashley Hinson in Trump-Won State by 13 Points
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Nov 4
Summary
Josh Turek, a Democratic state representative and Paralympian, won Iowa’s open Senate seat Tuesday, defeating Republican Representative Ashley Hinson in one of the year’s top battleground races.
Trump’s 13-point Iowa win in 2024 had made the state a difficult target for Democrats, but Turek capitalized on backlash to the president’s tariffs, the war in Iran and proposed cuts to Medicaid and food stamps.
Farm costs helped drive that message: high fertilizer, diesel and gasoline prices squeezed Iowa voters, especially farmers, in a political environment that undercut Hinson’s close alignment with Trump.
Hinson’s defeat is a setback for Iowa Republicans and a boost for Democrats’ Senate-control fight, with Turek adding a crucial seat in a state long seen as trending Republican.