Rep. Josh Turek wins U.S. Senate primary race against Sen. Zach Wahls

Iowa Rep. Josh Turek has won the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in his race against state Sen. Zach Wahls, The Associated Press projected Tuesday.

Turek had 62.6% of the vote to 37.4% for Wahls in unofficial results, with 99% of the vote counted.

The race for the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat brought national attention over the past year after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek reelection. While other Democrats like Rep. J.D. Scholten and Democrat Nathan Sage also had campaigned to become the nominee, Wahls and Turek’s campaigns were the only two to make it to the June 2 primary ballot.

Turek came out to a cheering crowd gathered at the Iowa Democratic Party election night watch party in Des Moines Tuesday evening, where he told the crowd, “Iowa sure does love an underdog, and we have done it tonight.”

The Council Bluffs Democrat, a Paralympian athlete and the first member of the state legislature with a permanent disability, celebrated with Democrats as he looked ahead to the 2026 general election Nov. 3, where he is set to face U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson. He said his personal story was the “American Dream” — and said he wanted to head to the U.S. Senate to make sure the American Dream will continue in the future.

“My story is truly the American dream,” Turek said. “In no other country on earth could someone born into a working-class family from Council Bluffs, Iowa, who went to the Goodwill, shared clothes, had the wrong color lunch ticket, who was born with my disability of spina bifida due to my father’s exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, who had 21 surgeons before the age of 12, be able to represent the United States in four Paralympic games and bring home two gold medals, and represent their community in the legislature. Only in America is that possible. And I am running for the United States Senate to protect that American dream for future generations.”

In Storm Lake, Pamela Patton cast her vote for Turek because she thinks he gives Iowa a better chance at landing a Democratic senator.

“I really liked what Josh Turek had to say but I also think he gives us more of a shot of winning,” she said. “I was watching Lawrence O’Donnell last night. He was saying, ‘It’s the first year he’s ever considered, instead of voting for who he likes the best, voting for who he thinks will win.’”

Though the two Democrats, both serving in the Iowa Legislature, share positions on many issues, the candidates sought to distinguish themselves through debates and endorsements in the months leading up to the primary. Wahls, who was positioned as a more progressive candidate, campaigned alongside national political figures like U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and criticized Turek for getting support from the VoteVets super PAC, an organization affiliated with Senate Democratic leadership and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

In his concession speech, Wahls thanked his supporters and gave Turek his full endorsement.

“The work that we began together one year ago this month does not end tonight, it is going to end in November when Rep. Josh Turek defeats Ashley Hinson,” Wahls said.

Wahls acknowledged the competitiveness and controversy over the course of the Democratic Senate primary, but said the two “got to know each other better.”

“Josh and I competed hard against each other, as you should in a primary, we had real disagreements,” Wahls said. “Scripture tells us that ‘iron sharpens iron.’ While our primary has made us both sharper, it has not made us colder.We’ve gotten to know each other better. He will be an infinitely better United States senator than Ashley Hinson.”

Wahls also warned against “corruption” and “dark money” in politics, adding that Iowa deserves leaders who will put the state ahead of politics.

“We know that the corruption in Washington is real,” Wahls said. “Corruption is hurting hard-working families. It is strangling the American dream, and we all know that it is time for a new generation to step up and to do something about it. That is exactly why tonight I am asking every single person who stood with our campaign to join me in helping to elect Josh Turek.”

Turek pitched himself as a more moderate candidate, pointing to his 2024 state legislative race victory and saying he represented the “reddest district” won by a Democrat in the 2024 general election in debates as well as his support from former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, the Democrat who held the seat before Ernst. While Turek has not made statements on Wahls’ campaign finance records, a person who made posts in support of Turek’s campaign filed a complaint — which was ultimately dismissed — with the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee over the Coralville Democrat’s work for the Next 50 Network.

Turek thanked Wahls, commending him for “running a strong campaign” and said the primary made him a “stronger candidate.” He also said he looked forward to representing the interests of Democrats who supported Wahls — as well as Republicans and Independents — as he seeks the U.S. Senate seat.

“I will be the Senator for all Iowans, whether you voted for me today or not, whether you support me in November or not, I will fight for you, all of you, no matter what,” Turek said.

John Holderness, 45, of Council Bluffs, said he is personally acquainted with Turek.

“I grew up with him — I know his family,” Holderness said. “Josh Turek was out there knocking on doors. I think he’s a good guy — I think he’s going to do good things.”

Renee Brandow, 65, voting at the Norwalk Public Library, said former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s endorsement of Turek was why she decided to back him.

“Sen. Harkin was my candidate when he was here, when he was in Washington,” she said.

Ames resident Sherry Berghefer also cast her ballot for Turek. “I like that he wants to address price gouging and artificial housing price inflation, as well as wanting to increase minimum wage,” she said.

Though some national Democrats have expressed optimism about a Democratic candidate’s chances in the 2026 election, many political forecasters prior to Tuesday predicted Republicans are “likely” to retain control of the seat. Much of this prediction was based on the campaign of Hinson, the Republican currently representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House, who quickly gained support from President Donald Trump, Ernst and other Iowa and D.C. Republican leaders after launching her campaign.

Following Turek’s victory, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, a political tip sheet, shifted its rating of the battle for the Senate seat in Iowa from “likely” Republican to “lean” Republican.

“Even though Hinson is a strong candidate who has amassed a formidable war chest, the overall environment in the Hawkeye State is an increasingly favorable one for Democrats given backlash to tariffs and rising fuel and fertilizer prices as a result of the Iran War,” wrote Jessica Taylor, U.S. Senate and Governors Editor.

However, Taylor said, “in a state that Trump last carried by 13 points and which hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008, Hinson still retains the early advantage.”

Hinson also faced a primary challenger: Jim Carlin, 63, a former state lawmaker. Hinson won the race to become the GOP Senate nominee Tuesday, according to preliminary results reported by the AP. Quickly after the race was called, Hinson’s campaign issued a news release criticizing Turek’s record on immigration and reversing tax cuts made by Republicans in Congress. The Republican’s news release also linked Turek’s campaign with funding from Democratic groups affiliated with Schumer.

“In Washington, Turek would be a rubber stamp for the radical leftists who bankrolled his campaign,” the news release stated. “His values might fit in great in New York City with Chuck Schumer, but his liberal record won’t fly here in Iowa.”

Joanna Schroeder, Theodore Ball, Kadin Luhmann and Tom Foley contributed to this story.