Political Notes

Pledges to Visit All 99 Counties

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek officially launched his statewide “Team Iowa Tour” Wednesday, beginning what he described as an intensive 130-day campaign to visit all 99 Iowa counties before Election Day.

The tour comes as the first New York Times/Siena College poll of the race showed Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson holding a narrow 2-point lead, a margin Turek described as “basically a tied race.”

“We’ve got 130 days to get out there, go to all 99 counties, go to every single one of these small communities, midsize communities, and I’m going to get in front of as many of the 3.2 million Iowans as I possibly can,” Turek said during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids.

The Council Bluffs Democrat said his campaign will focus on issues he believes are driving concerns across the state, including affordable housing, healthcare costs, prescription drug prices, clean drinking water, campaign finance reform, corruption, and creating what he described as a “livable wage.”

Turek argued Iowa faces significant economic and public health challenges, pointing to slow income growth, healthcare outcomes, increasing cancer rates, and rising farm foreclosures.

“Iowans are hurting,” he said. “They want somebody that’s actually going to go out there and work in a bipartisan manner to provide solutions.”

Supporters Emphasize Reform

To launch the tour, Turek was joined by supporters representing several backgrounds, including a farmer, labor leader, retired teacher, military veteran, former federal prosecutor, and a registered Republican.

One speaker, Cedar Rapids resident Byron Tabor, criticized the direction of today’s Republican Party and accused Hinson of supporting policies that benefit wealthy Americans while increasing costs for working families. Tabor also questioned Hinson’s financial gains while serving in Congress.

Hinson Campaign Responds

Hinson’s campaign rejected those criticisms, stating that her family’s increased wealth resulted from the sale of her husband’s privately owned business before she was elected to Congress.

The campaign also noted that neither Hinson nor her husband currently trade individual stocks, saying they sold their personal stock holdings shortly after she entered Congress.

In response, the campaign criticized national Democratic support for Turek’s campaign, arguing outside political spending played a significant role in his nomination.

Ethics and Campaign Finance

During the event, Turek outlined several government ethics proposals that have become central themes of his campaign.

Among them are congressional term limits, Supreme Court term limits, banning members of Congress and Supreme Court justices from owning or trading individual stocks, greater transparency for political donations, mandatory congressional town hall meetings, and continued refusal to accept corporate PAC contributions.

“I don’t view this issue as morally ambiguous,” Turek said. “What we’ve got right now is outsized influences from billionaires and large corporations buying off politicians.”

Immigration and the Constitution

Asked about recent Supreme Court decisions, Turek reaffirmed his support for the Court’s ruling protecting birthright citizenship under the Fourteenth Amendment.

“I believe in the Constitution, and I think birthright citizenship is very clear,” he said.

Turek said he supports both stronger border security and a more accessible legal immigration process, particularly to address workforce shortages in agriculture, meat processing, and healthcare.

He also noted that his wife immigrated to the United States, saying the legal immigration process can be unnecessarily complicated and expensive.

Transgender Athletes

Turek also addressed the Supreme Court’s recent decision involving transgender athletes.

While saying he believes biological males should not compete in women’s sports, he argued that eligibility decisions should be made by sports governing organizations rather than elected officials or the courts.

“I don’t think congressmen, senators, or the Supreme Court should have anything to do with this,” he said.

A Race Beginning to Take Shape

With approximately four months remaining before Election Day, both campaigns are increasingly defining themselves around contrasting themes.

Turek is emphasizing economic concerns, ethics reform, healthcare affordability, and campaign finance, while presenting himself as a bipartisan problem solver focused on issues affecting everyday Iowans.

Hinson has continued to campaign on border security, immigration, tax policy, and support for President Donald Trump’s agenda, while portraying Turek as aligned with national Democratic priorities.

The launch of Turek’s statewide tour marks another step in what is expected to be one of Iowa’s most closely watched races of 2026.

Our Take

The launch of the Team Iowa Tour highlights an increasingly clear contrast between the two Senate campaigns. While Ashley Hinson has largely centered her campaign on national issues such as immigration, border security, and support for President Trump’s agenda, Josh Turek is placing greater emphasis on Iowa-specific economic conditions, healthcare, government ethics, and campaign finance reform.

As the campaign progresses, voters will likely be able to compare the candidates’ policy proposals and the different visions they present for addressing Iowa’s challenges. With recent polling showing a narrow margin, both campaigns appear poised to spend the coming months making their case directly to voters across the state.