Turek, Hinson spar in first Iowa Senate debate: 3 takeaways
The Hill · C · trust 53/100
Comments: by Helen Huiskes - 10/07/26 10:31 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Helen Huiskes - 10/07/26 10:31 PM ET Comments: Link copied NOW PLAYING U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and state Rep. Josh Turek (D-Iowa), the two candidates for Senate, faced off in a debate Wednesday night, where health care cuts and agriculture were significant topics, as well as each candidate’s voting record and attendance in their current roles.
Hinson and Turek are running to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Hinson, 43, was a broadcast journalist before running for office in 2017. Turek, 47, is a professional wheelchair basketball player and state legislator.
The race is one of the most competitive in the country, as evidenced by tight polling , “toss-up” ratings by nonpartisan analysts and fundraising. The debate comes one night after the Hawkeye State’s gubernatorial candidates, Rob Sand (D) and Zach Lahn (R), sparred in their own contentious debate .
It’s the sixth-most expensive Senate contest in terms of advertising, with $90 million spent so far in total on ads. This was the first debate between them before the general election.
The war in Iran is a critical issue for battleground races across the country this year, but is playing a significant role in agricultural heartland states like Iowa. Turek called out Hinson for her early support of the war and President Trump’s tariffs, both of which Democrats say are responsible for high everyday costs nationwide.
“We’re looking at diesel prices being at an all-time high as our farmers are going into harvesting time and leading to a furthering increase of input costs, like fertilizer,” Turek said, adding Iowa farmers are telling him it affects their bottom lines and that “I certainly don’t want to see Iran have a nuclear weapon, but we have to end this war.”
Turek also compared the Iran war to the war in Vietnam, mentioning his father’s exposure to the chemical weapon Agent Orange, which caused Turek to be born with spina bifida, a physical disability that requires him to use a wheelchair.
Hinson recently called for the Iran war to end, citing its effect on high prices in Iowa. In the debate, she mentioned her teenage sons, saying she wanted a quick end to prevent the further loss of American troops.
“I don’t want this to be a forever war, so I want to make sure we do everything we can,” Hinson said. “I trust in our U.S. military, the greatest fighting force in the world, to bring this to a close as quickly as possible, because I know people are getting squeezed.”
When asked why she voted against resolutions to end the war, Hinson said it would have created too quick of a withdrawal that could have endangered troops.
“I don’t think we need another resolution, and I certainly don’t want to see the president not be able to do an orderly end to this war,” Hinson said. “You look at what happened when President Biden did the withdrawal hastily out of Afghanistan, and we lost 13 service members, including an Iowan, at Abbey Gate.”
Turek said he does not support Congress pursuing another impeachment of Trump when asked, but that instead lawmakers should focus on passing legislation to lower costs.
“I have no interest in looking at impeachment,” Turek said. “I think that we need to look forward, not back.”
Turek is running as a moderate Democrat and emphasizing his record of voting with Republicans in the statehouse. During the debate, he mentioned areas of agreement with Trump, like the prohibitions of taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security and the need for a “safe and secure” southern border.
“I’m the only one up on this stage that has actually worked across the aisle to address immigration,” said Turek, referring to his 2024 vote to criminalize some immigration violations.
“If you have come here illegally and you have committed violent crimes, you should no longer be here,” Turek added, while also mentioning he did not support the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
“At the same time, I think we can recognize that we need to have a pathway to earn citizenship for those that have come here legally, and I do think that we, you know, I think we can all agree that we don’t want to see Americans shot in the street.”
Hinson, for her part, has generally backed Trump’s immigration enforcement moves. But she emphasized legislation she worked on with Democrats, such as bills on maternal healthcare and veterans’ mental health that President Biden signed into law.
“I’ll be President Trump’s ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him, he knows this because I talk to him regularly, on things that are wrong for our state,” Hinson said. “That’s true no matter who is governing and who has the gavel. So hopefully it’s not Chuck Schumer, but if it’s Chuck Schumer, I’ll work with him. I got things across the line with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, so I think that shows that I can work with anyone.”
Both Turek and Hinson have voting records that the other has used for easy attack. Turek has missed many votes in the state legislature, more than most other members, and that’s something Hinson has been eager to point out in her ads .
But Hinson, as a congresswoman, has voted for some controversial legislation, like the “One, Big, Beautiful Bill,” or H.R. 1, which included Medicaid cuts estimated to cause more than 11 million people nationwide to be uninsured by 2034. She has also voted against measures that would have directed Trump to remove troops from Iran.
Hinson doubled down on Turek’s missed votes, while Turek tied the health care cuts to Iowa’s growing cancer crisis.
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