U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson wins GOP nomination for U.S. Senate seat

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson has defeated former state lawmaker Jim Carlin in the race to become the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in the Tuesday primary election, the Associated Press has projected.

Hinson had 74.2% of the vote to 25.9% for Carlin in unofficial results, with 99% of the vote counted.

She will face state Rep. Josh Turek, who won the Democratic nomination in his race against state Sen. Zach Wahls, The Associated Press projected.

Hinson was considered a favorite to become the nominee shortly after launching her campaign, just hours after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who currently holds the seat, announced she would not seek a third term. The Republican, who currently represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House, gained the backing of President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other Republicans in Washington — as well as getting support from Iowa GOP leaders including Ernst, who she hopes to succeed in the 2026 election.

She also maintained a financial lead in the race according to campaign finance reports, in comparison to both her primary challenger as well as the Democrats running for the seat, Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls and Rep. Josh Turek. The Associated Press projected Turek would be the Democratic nominee.

“Hinson was my only choice,” said Chris Holiday, of Council Bluffs, a self-described strong conservative. “Her commercials and doing some investigating on her — I like what she had to say.”

Lyle and Mary Greenfield, retired farmers now living in Gilbert, said they chose Hinson for Senate because they believe she has done a good job as a U.S. representative and will be a “good senator.”

Though some national Democratic groups have already begun preparing to run campaigns against Hinson in the general election, she was not running unopposed for the seat. Carlin, a former state representative and founder of the Iowa Liberty Network, challenged Hinson for the seat, criticizing her for not being sufficiently conservative. Carlin had brought attention to Hinson’s votes on LGBTQ+ issues, like a vote supporting the right to same-sex marriages, as reasons why Republicans should oppose her becoming the nominee.

But shortly after polls closed for the June 2 primary, the AP called the race for Hinson. In a statement Tuesday, Hinson thanked Iowans for supporting her campaign during the primary, and said she aimed to keep the momentum up as her team looked ahead to the general election.

“It has been working Iowans from all 99 counties – and I’ve visited every single one of them – who powered this campaign and delivered a resounding victory tonight,” Hinson said in a statement. “We’re going to continue fighting every day to make life more affordable for Iowa families, to take on Big Pharma and Big Health Insurance, and to root out corruption in Washington by banning Members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks and participating in prediction markets.”

Theodore Ball and Joanna Schroeder contributed to this story.