Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate race is shaping up to be a competitive race this cycle, following the retirement of two-term Republican incumbent Senator Joni Ernst. Having served since 2015, Sen. Ernst stated in June of 2025 that she would not seek re-election in 2026. Her departure opens up a key Senate pick-up opportunity for Democrats.
Once considered a swing state, Iowa has pivoted red in recent years. While the state elected President Barack Obama twice, President Donald Trump carried the state by roughly 8 points in both 2016 and 2020, and Republicans have since solidified their hold on most statewide offices. Currently, all four of Iowa’s congressional districts are held by Republicans. In 2024, the GOP again performed strongly at the presidential level, with Trump winning by 13 points, reinforcing Iowa’s reputation as a state that now leans red at the federal level.
The last time Democrats won a U.S. Senate race in Iowa was in 2008, when long-serving incumbent Senator Tom Harkin (D) secured his final and fifth term in office. Following Harkin’s retirement in 2014, Republican challenger Joni Ernst (R) captured this open seat, and Republicans have since held both Senate positions. Yet, since Trump’s second election in office, there has been movement from Iowa’s electorate back towards blue. Last year, Iowa Democrats won four out of six special state election races that were held in 2025. This effectively put an end to the GOP’s supermajority in the Iowa General Assembly. State and national Democratic leaders framed the results as evidence of growing backlash against Republican leadership in Iowa and against Donald Trump’s national agenda. While Republicans still hold a governing trifecta in the state, losing the supermajority reduces their ability to easily advance measures requiring a two-thirds vote.
The 2026 Senate race will coincide with Iowa’s gubernatorial election, which is also an open contest. With Republicans currently controlling the governor’s office and both legislative chambers, Democrats view the Senate race as their most plausible pickup opportunity, particularly since President Trump’s approval ratings are at an all-time low, and national dynamics create a favorable midterm backlash environment.
The Iowa Democratic and Republican primaries were held on June 2, 2026. While several candidates initially announced for the Democratic field, the race narrowed down to just two candidates: Turek and State Sen. Zach Wahls. Turek ultimately defeated Wahls to secure the nomination by 25 points. On the Republican side, Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District Representative Ashley Hinson secured the nomination.
In his submitted questionnaire, Turek said one of the reasons he is running for Senate is because “Iowans deserve a working class fighter who is going to fight for them, not for billionaires and large corporations.” Turek mentioned that he constantly hears on the campaign trail how “Iowans are hurting.” Turek said he has heard how voters can’t afford to pay their utility bills or even cover their basic necessities. He also said that farmers in the state are suffering greatly from the Trump Administration. Turek noted that 2-in-5 rural Iowans are on Medicaid, and since the signing of the Big Beautiful Bill, the state has witnessed several closures of rural hospitals because of the cuts to Medicaid.
Since entering the race last August, Turek says that his campaign has out-raised his other Democratic primary competitors. Turek also mentioned his campaign broke a fundraising record for a first-time Democratic Senate candidate in Iowa; after only 49 days of launching his campaign, he raised $1 million. His campaign noted that they have a “grassroots army of over 53,000 individual donors and an average donation of $33.” Turek points out that he was the only candidate in this primary who has ever even run against a Republican and that he is “battle-tested and ready to take advantage of this generational opportunity.”
Turek is structuring his general election campaign in a way that focuses on all the ways Republican nominee, Rep.Ashley Hinson, has failed Iowa and reminds voters that she has spent her time in Washington in alignment with the Trump Administration, and not fighting for her constituents. Turek mentioned that a strong part of his campaign has been highlighting the endorsements his campaign has received. So far, more than 75 current and former elected officials, community leaders, and advocates have endorsed Turek. A majority of his Democratic colleagues in the Iowa House of Representatives support him, as well as former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, former Iowa Lt. Gov Sally Pederson, and former Iowa Senator Tom Harkin. He also noted Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17), Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV), Sen. Maggie Hassan (NH), and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (IL) have also endorsed him.
If elected, Turek says he will be the Senator Iowans need at this moment. Turek believes Iowans deserve a working-class fighter and to “once again have a Senator that is looking out for Iowans and fighting for social and economic justice, not just enriching themselves and putting billionaires and large corporations first”.
Polling conducted this summer shows Turek has a slight lead over Hinson. A June Fox News poll found Turek leading Rep. Hinson by 4 points. This poll also surveyed partisan support for each candidate. Turek was found to have more support from Democratic voters, as 96% of Democrats surveyed indicated they would vote for Turek, while Rep. Hinson had earned the support of 88% of Republican voters polled. About 65% of independent voters support Turek in a state with more than 555,000 non-party voters.
