Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Josh Turek (left) and Zach Walls.
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The Associated Press reported Tuesday that state Rep. Josh Turek defeated Sen. Zach Walls in the Iowa Democratic Senate primary. The primary was one of the most closely watched races for Democrats as they look to regain the Senate majority in this year’s midterm elections.
Turek will seek to become Iowa’s first Democratic senator since Tom Harkin, who was last elected in 2008. He will face Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, who represents the state’s 2nd Congressional District, for the seat that will be vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst at the end of this year. Hinson defeated Jim Carlin in Tuesday’s Republican Senate primary.
Turek now faces the difficult task of winning a state that President Donald Trump won by a 13-point margin in 2024 and where there are nearly 200,000 more registered Republican voters than Democrats. However, Democrats are bullish on winning the seat as President Trump’s approval rating declines due to the Iran war and the state’s economic woes.
Farm bankruptcies are on the rise across the state. Tax revenue is on the decline. And tariffs and the Iran war are hitting soybean and other farmers hard. Meanwhile, according to a Morning Consult poll released in May, President Trump’s approval rating in Iowa is -7, lower than it was in February, before the Iran war began. The same poll says it is “likely” that the Republican Party will win the Senate race.
The battle between Mr. Turek and Mr. Waals was emblematic of a larger struggle between more moderates and progressives within the Democratic Party, and became a referendum on Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D.N.Y.).
The Iowa Senate general election could be crucial in Democrats’ bid to take back the chamber. To do so, he will need to successfully flip four states that Trump won, including Iowa, Texas, North Carolina and Maine, while also successfully defending seats in states such as Georgia, Michigan and New Hampshire.
“The big battle right now within the Democratic Party is who is more likely to win,” Timothy Heigl, a political science professor at the University of Iowa, said ahead of the Democratic primary. “Which way do we go? Of course, Republicans want Mr. Walls because he’s so far left that he’s probably going to alienate independent voters. And a lot of Democrats are saying, ‘We need Mr. Turek because we need a chance to fight this election.'”
Mr. Turek was seen as a likely candidate, backed by Mr. Harkin, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and several sitting senators. Turek, who lives in Council Bluffs on the state’s western border with Nebraska, is a Paralympian who flipped a state House seat long held by Republicans.
“I am the only candidate who has even run against Republicans, let alone won this race,” Turek posted on X in May. “I’m battle-tested and ready to take on Ashley Hinson and win.”
Walls was seen as a more progressive candidate and was supported by Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. During his campaign, he pledged not to support Mr. Schumer as party leader if elected. He lives in Coralville, a college town on the outskirts of Iowa City in Johnson County, a Democratic stronghold.
“Donald Trump chose Ashley Hinson for this seat. My primary opponent is Chuck Schumer. But this seat doesn’t belong to them. It belongs to the people of Iowa,” Walls wrote in a post on Substack on Monday.
Iowans also voted Tuesday in primaries for three of the four House districts and for Republican gubernatorial candidates in a five-way race, including Republican Rep. Randy Feenstra. Rob Sund, Iowa’s state auditor, ran unopposed as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate.
