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Candidates › Iowa U.S. Senate race › 2025–2026
Josh Turek
D Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, Iowa
Has not served in Congress
- On the ballot
- Lost the general electionNov 3, 2026 · 511,197 votes (47.4%) · 2 of 3
- Where to vote
- Find your polling place (opens in a new tab) · More ways to vote
- Top priorities
- Each and every American should be able to afford the basics.
- Health care is a human right. All Americans deserve access to basic care.
- Stop the corruption. Politicians should deliver for the people, not enrich themselves.
- Iowa’s farmers are the best in the world. It’s time we fight for them.
- We must protect and defend our fundamental freedoms.
- Money
- $24.3M raised, $21.2M spent, $3.1M cash on hand (through Oct 14, 2026). Where it comes from
- Who gives
- 40% of individual money from donors at $200 or less · 28% from Iowa · largest committee giver DSCC, $62K
- Outside groups
- $33.5M supporting, $21.8M opposing Turek
- Backed by
- Tom Harkin · Sally Pederson · Tom Miller and 150 more. As the campaign lists them
- Polling
- 45% in the latest poll (Echelon Insights) · even with Ashley Hinson. The polls
10 priorities from turek4iowa.com, in the order they are listed there. Every heading and the text under it is copied exactly, as one passage for each page it is from, and links to that place on the page; hover a source to see which passage it opens.
Josh knows the American Dream is getting further and further away for too many families who are struggling to put food on the table, make rent, and achieve the dream of homeownership. Washington continues to undermine workers’ rights, hollowing out the middle class, while billionaires and big corporations rake in massive profits.
In the Iowa House, Josh fought to make the dream of owning a home more in reach, sponsoring legislation to cut taxes for first-time homebuyers and to limit the ability of private equity to buy up Iowa homes. Josh also has a long record of fighting for workers’ rights, from sponsoring bills to raise the minimum wage to pushing to protect workers’ right to organize.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Cut taxes for the middle class and working families and close loopholes for billionaires and big corporations.
- Impose a federal ban on price gouging on food so Iowans pay less at the grocery store.
- Raise the minimum wage and pass legislation that ties regular raises to inflation to ensure a livable wage.
- Ban Wall Street private equity firms from purchasing single family homes and farmland to make housing more affordable and protect small family farms.
- Simplify permitting so new affordable housing can be built faster.
- Pass the PRO Act to strengthen our unions and protect collective bargaining.
- Strengthen Social Security by ensuring billionaires pay their fair share.
- Take on Big Pharma and pharmacy benefit managers to stop price gouging and ensure affordable prescription drugs for all.
- Repeal cuts to SNAP, because every Iowan deserves access to food.
- Hold corporations accountable by cracking down on unfair wages and incentivizing policies that benefit workers.
- Invest in job training programs and apprenticeships to prepare the next generation of Iowans to fill gaps in the labor market without having to go to college.
- Crack down on monopolies that drive up prices for working class Iowans.
- Lower costs for child care.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Born with Spina Bifida, Josh underwent 21 surgeries before the age of 12. He had access to good quality health care thanks to Shriner’s Children’s Hospital and his father’s military service. Josh knows better than most that access to quality, affordable health care is critical – and he knows just how hard it is for so many Iowans to receive.
In the legislature, Josh has been on the front lines of fighting for better health care. He has sponsored legislation to cap insulin costs at $25/month, to expand access to dental services under Medicaid, to protect patients in nursing homes, and to eliminate long waiting lists for Medicaid home and community-based services waivers.
Josh also believes that women should make decisions about their reproductive health care, not politicians, and wrote and sponsored legislation to repeal Iowa’s extreme, near-total abortion ban.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Restore full funding for Medicaid for the 110,000 Iowans who are at risk of losing access to health care due to cuts in the Big Beautiful Bill that Ashley Hinson voted for.
- Protect and expand the Affordable Care Act for the 118,000 Iowans that rely on ACA subsidies.
- Make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again and address the OB-GYN crisis in Iowa.
- Defend and expand Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower prescription drug prices.
- Cap costs on prescription drug prices.
- Crack down on pharmacy benefit managers that are price gouging prescriptions.
- Address vertical integration in health care by prohibiting one company from owning an insurance provider, pharmacy benefit manager, and pharmacy chain.
- Invest in mental health care, particularly in rural communities.
- Save rural hospitals and expand access to telehealth.
- Crack down on private equity purchasing elder care facilities and health care centers, which increases cost and worsens care.
- Ensure every Iowan has access to paid family and medical leave.
- Introduce a public option so every Iowan has access to health care.
- Prohibit insurance companies from denying care that is prescribed by a doctor.
- Eliminate surprise medical bills and demand transparency in billing.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Politicians in Washington like Ashley Hinson have seen their net worth increase while the people they are supposed to serve struggle. Meanwhile, the proliferation of big money has delivered for billionaires and big corporations, not working people.
Josh is not taking any corporate PAC money, because this campaign is for Iowa and Iowans, not corporations. Josh has sponsored legislation to cap the amount of money that can be given to individual campaigns and political committees, so wealthy donors don’t have outsized influence on our elections.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Address waste, fraud, and abuse in our government.
- Ban Members of Congress and their spouses from trading stock.
- Ban corporate PAC money in campaigns.
- Pass the DISCLOSE Act to increase transparency in campaign contributions.
- Pass a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United.
- Set term limits for Members of Congress and Supreme Court Justices.
- Enforce ethics standards on Supreme Court Justices.
- Suspend pay and ban travel by Members of Congress during a government shutdown.
- Require Members of Congress to hold annual town halls with constituents.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Iowa’s farmers have been hit hard by the chaotic tariffs and trade policies coming out of Washington, supported by Ashley Hinson. Iowa farmers are the best in the world, and they deserve a Senator willing to fight for them to have a level playing field.
Josh has championed meaningful legislation for Iowa farmers, including fighting for a Right to Repair bill so farmers can fix their own equipment and Mandatory Country of Origin labeling. He also sponsored legislation to break up monopolies that drive up input costs, fight consolidation so small farmers and ranchers can compete, and provide farmers incentives to engage in practices that protect water and soil quality.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Pass a Farm Bill and a provision to ensure Congress does not recess if a Farm Bill is set to expire without passage of a new one.
- Pass a Right to Repair law at the federal level.
- End the chaotic tariffs that are sending farms toward a 1980s-style farm crisis.
- Pass Mandatory Country of Origin Labeling legislation.
- Crack down on monopolies in agribusiness and meatpacking.
- Stop giving bailouts to foreign countries that make it harder for our farmers to compete.
- Protect Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act, all of which are vital to rural health care.
- Prevent eminent domain for corporate usage.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Josh knows that our fundamental rights and freedoms are under attack from Washington, including our freedom of speech, the freedom to marry who we love, and the freedom for women to make their own decisions about reproductive health care. He spoke out against legislation removing antidiscrimination protections for gender identity from Iowa’s civil rights code, and he wrote and sponsored legislation to repeal Iowa’s extreme, near-total abortion ban.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again and protect access to contraception and IVF.
- Protect the freedom of speech and protest.
- Defend the right for Americans to marry who they love.
- Reform and simplify path to legal citizenship.
- Eliminate unnecessary barriers to education, health care, and employment for Americans with disabilities.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Iowa used to be nationally ranked for its public schools. It was a point of personal pride for all Iowans, so much so that we put it on our quarter. Now, we’re middle of the pack – and Iowa kids deserve better. Josh knows firsthand what a difference it makes to have leaders fighting for education. As a child, local Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEAs) gave him access to a quality education.
Josh has sponsored legislation to repeal school vouchers, because public dollars belong in public schools, and to require the state board of education to be transparent about nonpublic school accreditation.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- End school vouchers that waste taxpayer dollars and benefit the richest.
- Restore Department of Education funding.
- Increase funding to public schools so every child has access to a world-class education.
- Protect funding for AEAs.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Iowa is experiencing a cancer crisis and a water quality crisis. Josh knows that personally: he’s currently supporting his sister through treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer, a diagnosis that drove his decision to run for Senate. His sister’s private insurance refused to cover a PET scan to see if the cancer had spread – another example of our broken health care system.
Josh has sponsored legislation to support cancer research, including appropriations specifically for pediatric cancer research, in Iowa. He also sponsored a bill to ban certain medical devices that use known carcinogens. Thanks to the attention Josh brought to the issue, major medical device manufacturers changed their practices, significantly reducing the risk of cancer for Iowans with disabilities. To address the root cause of our water quality crisis, Josh has sponsored legislation to increase funding for water quality sensors.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Address the water quality crisis that is at the core of our cancer crisis by funding water quality sensors and cracking down on chemical companies that pollute our water supply.
- Stop cuts to the National Institutes of Health and restore funding for cancer research.
- Fight for affordable and accessible health care for every Iowan battling cancer.
- Prohibit insurance companies from denying medically necessary care for cancer patients.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Josh is the proud son of a veteran, whose service provided the VA health care that Josh relies on. He also knows how the government can fail servicemembers and their families.
That’s why Josh is committed to supporting our troops and their families when they are on active duty and when they come home. As an adaptive sports athlete, Josh has played with disabled veterans and worked with veterans as part of sports rehabilitation programs. He passed legislation to strengthen the veteran homestead tax credit. He has also sponsored legislation to increase state funding for the veterans trust and to create a homeowner assistance program for servicemembers. He is also the lead Democratic sponsor on bipartisan legislation to protect Iowa National Guardsmen from being sent into active combat unless Congress has declared war and from being sent into another state without the permission of the governor of that state.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Protect the Department of Veterans Affairs and reverse cuts to VA staffing and health care.
- Ensure every veteran has access to quality health care, including mental health care.
- Support and expand the PACT Act to ensure veterans exposed to toxic substances during their military service have the care and benefits they need.
- Address veteran homelessness.
- End unnecessary wars that put American lives at risk.
- Ensure disabled veterans, who have given the most to their country, can afford to live comfortably upon returning home.
- Support military families through policies that allow military dependents to stay on military health care until age 26, support military spouse employment, and ensure that all military families have a safe and healthy home environment.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Iowans with disabilities deserve to live fulfilling lives with dignity and access to critical services. As the first and only permanently disabled member of the Iowa legislature, Josh has led the charge to support individuals with disabilities in the Iowa House.
Josh wrote and passed a “right to repair” bill that makes it far easier for people to repair wheelchairs and mobility devices covered under Medicaid. He wrote and passed legislation to protect the right for Iowans with disabilities to have service animals when renting.
He is fighting to improve Medicaid benefits for individuals with disabilities, and sponsored legislation to eliminate 14C certificates, which allow for-profit companies to pay disabled workers a subminimum wage.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- End 14C certificates on the federal level, which allow for-profit companies to pay individuals with disabilities a subminimum wage.
- Raise Social Security income and assets limits for disabled individuals.
- Stop the federal lawsuit to gut Section 504, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in any setting that receives federal financial assistance.
- Protect and defend the Americans with Disabilities Act.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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Our immigration system is broken because politicians in Washington refuse to work across the aisle to fix it. We deserve a functional immigration system that keeps our borders secure and enforces our laws and simplifies the path to citizenship – two goals that are not mutually exclusive. That’s why Josh will work across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions for Iowa. Josh has spoken out against abuses of power from ICE agents, and believes we need an immigration system that provides a pathway to citizenship.
In the Senate, Josh will fight to:
- Pass bipartisan immigration legislation that strengthens our borders and simplifies an earned pathway to citizenship.
- Secure our border and deport those who come here illegally and commit crimes.
- Stop fentanyl from coming across the border.
- Ensure regulation and accountability for ICE agents.
source ↗ (opens the page at this passage) · turek4iowa.com/platform
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