State Rep. Josh Turek (D) and Rep. Ashley Hinson (IA-02) faced off this week in the first of two scheduled debates in Iowa’s Senate race. The close contest could determine control of the U.S. Senate for the last two years of the Trump administration.
The candidates largely focused on policy during the debate and answered questions on topics ranging from taxes, Medicaid cuts, and the Iran war. Though Democratic candidates have used debates across the country as forums to criticize President Donald Trump, Turek largely avoided doing so and even praised aspects of Trump’s controversial One Big Beautiful Bill.
“When you put together One Big Beautiful Bill, as it’s called, you’re going to have a handful of things that I actually am in favor of,” Turek said during the debate. “I’ve said that, and I’ve been open about it.”
Turek said that like the president, he supported getting “private equity out of housing” and believed that “we should have no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security.”
Though his position on the president’s signature legislation is unusual among Democratic candidates, it seems to be part of his broader strategy of courting voters on both sides of the aisle — a prospect that he pushed for throughout the debate.
Though the race between Turek and Hinson is virtually neck-in-neck, the Democratic candidate seemed to have secured a narrow lead against his opponent per recent polling. This is no small feat in a state where both registered Republicans and Independents outnumber registered Democrats.
In order to win, Turek needs voters outside the Democrat party to support him — hence his frequent emphasis on bipartisanship during his debate with Hinson and his ability to work with people from the Republican Party.
“I’m willing to work with anyone, including President Trump, on this issue,” Turek said regarding immigration policies. He noted during the debate that he voted with Republicans over 700 times during his time in the state House.
Though he steered clear of criticizing the president, Turek did slam Hinson for her own legislative record and used his closing remarks to deride her votes in support of the war in Iran. He tied his opponent to affordability issues being experienced by Iowans, a strategy his party members have employed throughout the country.
“Iowans out there, when you’re struggling at the pump, that is because of Ashley Hinson’s seven times to vote for the war,” Turek said, in reference to Hinson’s votes against resolutions to block Trump from ordering more military strikes in Iran. “Farmers, as you’re out there in harvesting season, what you’re paying, all-time high on diesel, that is because of her voting seven times in favor of the war.”
Turek and Hinson are scheduled to join one another on the debate stage again next Tuesday, their last planned meeting before the Nov. 3 election.
(Pool photo by Cody Scanlan/The Des Moines Register)