Democrat Josh Turek Flips Another Middle America Red Senate Seat

Iowa voters elected Democrat Josh Turek to the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, delivering a setback to Republicans in a state President Donald Trump carried by double digits in 2024.

Turek, a state representative and four-time Paralympic wheelchair basketball competitor, defeated Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson to succeed outgoing GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. His victory marks a breakthrough for Democrats in the Midwest and underscores the widespread economic discontent hurting the GOP up and down the ballot.

Turek is projected to win by about three points with 90% of ballots counted. Decision Desk HQ called the race at 11:16 p.m. Eastern Time.

The race largely centered on economic and agricultural policy. High fuel prices, particularly diesel, strained Iowa households while tariffs squeezed farmers, creating enough political headwinds to flip the state blue. President Donald Trump sought to address economic concerns by announcing plans for what the White House called the largest-ever steel plant in Iowa, a project expected to create thousands of jobs.

Turek, who branded himself a “common-sense prairie populist,” campaigned on his record of winning elections in Republican territory. In the process, he went to great lengths to separate himself from the national Democratic Party in a state Republicans have increasingly taken control of.

He leaned on a moderate message and used divisive wedge issues – like the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files – to flip enough voters to his side. Asked whether he would welcome former Vice President Kamala Harris on the campaign trail, Turek firmly answered, “No.”

Turek has run ads offering to work with Trump, particularly on border security, and supports some Trump policies like no tax on tips or Social Security. He also avoided committing to whether or not he’d support Chuck Schumer as Senate Majority Leader. 

The Democrat did face criticism over his opposition to an Iowa law restricting lab-grown meat products, an issue Republicans jumped on to attack his agricultural credentials, The Daily Wire reported.

The law requires lab-grown, plant-based, and insect-based protein products marketed using terms associated with traditional meat to include qualifiers such as “meatless,” “imitation”, or “fake.” It also prohibits Iowa schools, community colleges, and public universities from purchasing cultivated-protein products.

But ultimately, the issue wasn’t enough to cost him the election. 

Over the summer, polls painted a bleak picture for Republicans, and Hinson took deliberate steps to distance herself from some of the administration’s most unpopular policies, including the war with Iran. 

“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices,” Hinson said in September.

She proposed suspending the gas tax, pausing diesel exports, expanding E15 availability, reinstating the $1-per-gallon biodiesel tax credit, and establishing a diesel relief program for farmers and truckers facing higher costs.

“I am working every day to deliver bipartisan results for Iowans, and I will work with anyone who is ready to tackle this challenge immediately,” she added.

But it proved to be too little and too late. Hinson repeatedly voted against resolutions invoking the War Powers Resolution to direct the removal of U.S. forces from hostilities with Iran, opposing such measures in March, April, May, and July, as well as a September resolution that passed the House 220-204.

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