Ashley Hinson and Josh Turek advance in Iowa Senate race

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek (D-Council Bluffs) have won their respective primary elections and advanced to November’s general election for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat.

Decision Desk HQ projected Turek the winner of the Democratic primary at 8:31 p.m. CST. With 31.2% of the vote counted, Turek held 63% of the vote and led his opponent, state Sen. Zach Wahls (D), by nearly 17,000 ballots.

Hinson was projected the winner shortly after Iowa’s polls closed at 8:00 p.m. CST, defeating former state Sen. Jim Carlin.

Wahls and Turek both tried to position themselves as more electable than the other before the primary. Wahls, the current minority leader of the Iowa state Senate, has focused on an anti-establishment message, including sharp criticisms of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and his financial support for Turek.

“Chuck Schumer is a part of the status quo that has failed Iowans, and Iowans understand that,” Wahls said in an interview. “We need to be honest with them in order to rebuild the trust that the Democratic Party has lost.”

The 34-year-old has also touted endorsements from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and several labor unions. Being raised by lesbian parents, Wahls has also spent much of his political career advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.

Turek was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022. Born with spina bifida, Turek was a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player for 20 years before beginning his political career. His campaign has focused on the affordability crisis and limiting the power of money in politics.

The Republican primary

Hinson currently represents Iowa’s 1st Congressional District after four years in the state House of Representatives. She defeated Democratic incumbent Abby Finkenauer in the 2020 general election. Before her political career, Hinson worked as a news anchor for KCRG-TV in Iowa. The congresswoman faced backlash from constituents last year after she celebrated voting for President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill at a town hall. The bill included massive cuts to social programs like Medicaid and SNAP, while implementing tax cuts that largely benefit the wealthiest Americans.

Heartland Signal previously reported on Hinson’s connection to the pesticide manufacturer Syngenta, which donated $2,500 to her 2022 congressional campaign. In 2023, Hinson was one of several Republican lawmakers to sign a letter in support of atrazine, a pesticide manufactured by Syngenta that is linked to increased risk of cancer, birth defects and fertility issues.

Iowa’s Senate seat is currently held by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), who is not seeking a third term. Ernst flipped the seat for the GOP in 2014, the last time a Democrat held a U.S. Senate seat in the state. If Turek flips the seat, it will be a major blow to the slim 53-47 Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.