Josh Turek Wins Iowa Senate Primary With 62.6%, Setting Up Race Against Ashley Hinson
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jun 3
Josh Turek Wins Iowa Senate Primary With 62.6%, Setting Up Race Against Ashley Hinson
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 3
Summary
More than 98% of expected votes counted gave Josh Turek 62.6% to Zach Wahls' 37.4%, handing Democrats' establishment-backed candidate a clear Iowa Senate primary win.
Turek, a 47-year-old state representative and two-time Paralympic gold medalist, now faces Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat Joni Ernst is vacating at year-end.
Hinson entered the general election from a position of strength after crushing Jim Carlin by about 48 points in the GOP primary, while Iowa backed Donald Trump by 13 points in 2024 and has nearly 200,000 more registered Republicans.
Democrats still see an opening as Trump's Iowa approval slid to minus 7 in a May Morning Consult poll and the state's economy weakens, with farm bankruptcies rising and tariffs and the Iran war hitting soybean growers.
The race is part of Democrats' broader Senate path: they need to flip four Trump-won states such as Iowa while defending seats in battlegrounds including Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire.