Democrat Josh Turek told Iowa voters Wednesday that if they’re unhappy with the state’s direction, he’s ready to break from Trump‑led policies if they elect him to the U.S. Senate.
The state legislator blamed U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, his Republican rival, for rising costs and farm foreclosures, saying “the tariffs and the war in Iran has hurt Iowa more than any other state.”
Ms. Hinson defended her record, saying she has delivered for the state by fighting for the tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill, year‑round E‑15 gasoline, and a Farm Bill seeking to strengthen Iowa’s agricultural industry.
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She also warned that Mr. Turek has been an absentee lawmaker who is far too liberal for the state and wants to return to tax‑and‑spend, big government policies that she argued ignored the crisis at the southern border and drove the inflation behind today’s affordability crunch.
“So, who do you trust to fix the problem? The arsonists, the people who started the fire, or the people who are cleaning up the mess,” Ms. Hinson said.
The two are running to replace Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican who is not seeking re-election.
They squared off for the first of four scheduled debates in a race that has turned out to be far more competitive than many expected after President Trump carried the state by 13 percentage points in the 2024 election. Republicans also control the governor’s mansion and both chambers of the legislature in what was recently one of the nation’s most closely contested swing states.
But like other contests across the country, stubborn inflation and high costs — including those tied to the Iran war — have continued to weigh on family budgets, adding to the economic frustration into which both campaigns are trying to tap.
The race is tight.
The latest Real Clear Politics polling average shows Mr. Turek with a slim lead — 46.2 percent to Ms. Hinson’s 45.2 percent. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election tracker, calls the contest a “toss‑up,” noting that Iowa has become “ground zero for backlash to the effect of Trump’s tariffs and the Iran War on the agriculture industry.”
Mr. Turek repeatedly reminded voters that Ms. Hinson backed the tariffs and the war in Iran as Iowans watch their schools, roads, and hospitals fall apart and struggle to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
“That is because of Ashley Hinson voting five times in favor of these chaotic tariffs, seven times in favor of this war,” Mr. Turek said.
“Iowans out there, when you’re struggling at the pump, that is because of Ashley Hinson seven times to vote for the war,” he said. “Farmers, as you’re out there in harvesting season, when you what you’re paying all-time high on diesel, that is because of her voting seven times in favor of the war.”
Ms. Hinson said she supports an “immediate and successful end” that ensures Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and that U.S. allies are protected in the region.
She also defended her votes against resolutions seeking to halt or curb U.S. involvement in Iran, saying she didn’t believe Congress needed another one and didn’t want to limit the president’s ability to carry out an orderly end to the conflict.
She pointed to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Biden — where 13 U.S. service members, including an Iowan, were killed — as evidence of the risks of a rushed exit.
Mr. Turek signaled his chief priority is winding down the war as soon as possible.
“I think we need to end this war in Iran and let’s get back to diplomacy,” he said. “Certainly, don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon, but we have to end this war.”
On trade, he said he wants to see the Trump tariffs repealed, but does support “strategic” tariffs that protect jobs and American manufacturing — just “not off the backs of the agricultural industry and not off the backs of small family farms.”
Ms. Hinson, meanwhile, said the tariffs were a necessary response to an tilted playing field and bad actors such as China, who must be held accountable.
She also touted the Trump tax cuts, saying they provided relief to the working class and safeguards to Medicaid that make it harder for people, including illegal immigrants, to game the system.
Ms. Hinson said the law also helped lay the groundwork for Mr. Trump’s recent announcement that a Minnesota company plans to build a $15 billion steel mill in Iowa, creating as many as 1,750 jobs.
“All of that is possible because of what was included in the working-families tax cuts,” she said.
Mr. Turek said he would repeal the tax cut law because it provided tax breaks for billionaires by reducing future spending on Medicaid that would strip more than 100,000 Iowans of health coverage.
But he said he would fight to reinstate such parts of the law as its repeal of taxes on tips, overtime, and Social Security.
On immigration, Mr. Turek said he agreed with the Senate Democrats’ demand that a funding bill ban U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection agents from wearing masks and require them to obtain judicial warrants before entering private property.
Ms. Hinson said he has supported legislation that would pave the way for “amnesty” for illegal immigrants who broke the law.
“His policies are too liberal,” she said.
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