Democrat Josh Turek Flips Iowa Senate Seat, Defeating Trump-Backed Ashley Hinson

Democrat Josh Turek has won the United States Senate race in Iowa in the midterm elections. According to the race call by the Associated Press, he defeated Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson. The victory ends more than a decade of Republican control of both of Iowa's Senate seats.

The seat is opening up because Republican Senator Joni Ernst is retiring. Last fall Ernst announced she would not seek a third term. That made Iowa one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, watched closely across the United States, and in the end the seat changed parties.

Turek is a state representative from Council Bluffs. He is a two-time gold medalist in Paralympic basketball. He uses a wheelchair because of spina bifida, a condition he says is due to his father's exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

He rose as a relatively unknown state lawmaker. In June he beat Zach Wahls, the former state Senate minority leader, to win the Democratic nomination.

Turek, who calls himself a "prairie populist," campaigned hard on healthcare reform. He attacked Hinson for supporting President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduces Medicaid spending nationwide by nearly one trillion dollars, and he claimed that Hinson's personal wealth has increased significantly during her time in Washington.

Both candidates presented themselves as bipartisan lawmakers in an effort to win over the state's large number of uncommitted voters. As polling data began to indicate a close race, however, both sides stepped up their attacks on each other.

As President Trump's approval ratings fell, the Iowa race became more competitive. The state's large agricultural industry has been hit hard by tariffs, and increased diesel prices due to the war in Iran also weighed on voters. Hinson at times appeared to walk a fine line with voters, and by summer the race was considered a toss-up.

The race was one of the most expensive in the country. Federal spending data shows the two candidates together raised more than 30 million dollars. According to Open Secrets, outside groups contributed more than 100 million dollars to the race.

In the final quarter of the election, Turek significantly outraised Hinson. Hinson, a former television journalist who had been considered a rising star in Iowa politics, was initially seen as the front-runner to replace Ernst and received President Trump's endorsement shortly after she announced her candidacy.

Iowa has voted for Trump three times in presidential elections, and he carried the state by a 13-point margin in 2024. In that same state, Republicans have now lost a Senate seat.