Iowa elects a Democratic senator for the first time in 18 years as Turek beats Hinson
Turek won with 51% of the vote, according to Decision Desk HQ, after campaigning on health care and opposition to Medicaid cuts.
- On Tuesday, Paralympian Josh Turek defeated Iowa GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson to become the state's junior senator-elect, flipping a Republican-held Senate seat with 51% to 45% of the vote counted, per Decision Desk HQ.
- Turek, a state representative and two-time Paralympic gold medalist, campaigned as a moderate emphasizing reversal of Republican cuts to Medicaid, a position pivotal for families relying on home-based services.
- Polling remained neck-and-neck until Election Day, with the final New York Times/Siena poll putting Turek at 48 percent and Hinson at 47 percent on Sunday, despite Hinson's ad claiming Turek supported "sex changes for children" without parental consent.
- Turek's victory makes him the first Iowa Democrat to win a Senate seat since Tom Harkin in 2008, bringing the party one step closer to securing a Senate majority.
- Turek will succeed Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who announced her retirement in September 2025 following backlash for comments regarding Medicaid cuts and will vacate her seat in January 2027.
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Democrat Josh Turek flips Republican-held US Senate seat in Iowa
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Democrat Josh Turek wins election to the US Senate from Iowa as Democrats win US Senate
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Josh Turek won Iowa’s rare open U.S. Senate race in Tuesday’s midterm elections, flipping a Republican-held seat and helping Democrats win the U.S. Senate, ending Republican dominance in Washington. Turek became the first Democr...
Media projections show that Democrat Josh Turek has won the US Senate race in the Midwestern state of Iowa.
Democrats win governor, senate race in Iowa
By Eric Bradner Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek will flip Iowa’s open Senate seat, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, defeating GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson and renewing the state’s battleground status. The two were vying to replace retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in a state that had been competitive until recently, but where the GOP had dominated
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