California U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna rallies with Iowa Democrats ahead of midterms

U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna told Iowa Democrats Sunday he believed Iowa Rep. Josh Turek could help bring a “moral renewal to America” if he is elected to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Khanna was the headline speaker for state Rep. Sean Bagniewski’s annual Fish Fry dinner in Des Moines, a fundraiser that has regularly brought influential national Democrats to the state. Last year, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff Rahm Emanuel spoke at the event.

Bagniewski referenced the potential implications of a figure like Khanna visiting Iowa even as the state lost its first-in-the-nation status for the Democratic presidential nominating calendar, saying, “I hope he has higher aspirations very soon. We’re not going to talk about those tonight.”

Though the California Democrat is considered a potential presidential contender in the 2028 election, he did not discuss any potential future runs. Instead, he focused on the upcoming Nov. 3, 2026 midterms, and his support for Turek and other Iowa Democrats heading into the election.

Though Republicans have seen major victories in recent election cycles, political forecasters and some polls predict Democrats have the potential to win back ground in Iowa in the upcoming 2026 election. Alongside several Iowa U.S. House races, the U.S. Senate race between Turek and Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson is expected to be close — and one of a handful nationwide that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

Khanna held an event with Turek earlier in the day hosted by The Iowa Mercury about a “Conversation on Government Transparency & Accountability.” Khanna said this event was focused on “the moral clarity that we need in our country.”

“I think we need a moral renewal in America, a spiritual renewal in America, and that to me was what the Epstein fight was about,” he said.

The California Democrat was a leading figure alongside Republican U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie in efforts over the past two years to compel the U.S. Department of Justice to publicize files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. After gathering enough signatures on a discharge petition to override leadership and force a vote in the House, the “Epstein Files Transparency Act” passed both chambers in 2025.

Khanna said after this vote, “we showed that you can stand up to power when you have people on your side and you’re standing up for justice, and that the American people will respond.”

“There was one person who didn’t get the memo — and I don’t say this in a partisan way — Ashley Hinson never getting on the original discharge petition,” he said. Hinson voted in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act when it successfully made it to the U.S. House floor.

Though Hinson did not sign off on the initial discharge petition, he said there was a second discharge position she could support, on legislation titled the “Epstein Files Transparency Act II.” This measure would allow state attorneys general, local prosecutors and victims to sue the U.S. attorney general “over alleged unlawful withholdings, redactions or failure to produce records,” according to a news release, in addition to requiring the U.S. attorney general provide certain unredacted documents to victims when requested.

Other Republicans — U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace and Brian Fitzpatrick — have signed onto the petition. Khanna said at the event he wanted Hinson to join the effort.

“Today, I’m calling on Ashley Hinson to text or call Thomas Massie and sign that discharge petition so we can get a vote and hold the Epstein class accountable,” he said. “You can’t talk about bipartisanship and not act in a bipartisan way. I don’t know Iowa that well, but I know here people care more about what you do than what you say. They care more about your action and character than giving a fancy speech. And if you’re really on the side, which should not be political, of the survivors, then please get on this discharge petition so we can pass this bill and see the prosecution of the Epstein class.”

Hinson said in a statement Sunday night that she voted to supported the release of files related to Epstein.

“I’ve voted to release the Epstein files,” Hinson said. :We should release every single bit of information and have full transparency and accountability for any predators. Sexually abusing a woman or a child is the sickest thing you can do — and anyone who did that should be permanently behind bars. Protect the victims. Hold the creeps accountable. That is what I’m for.”

Khanna says he’d support impeaching Trump

Answering questions from the crowd, Khanna also said if Democrats gain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms, he would support impeaching President Donald Trump.

“I don’t understand some of my party — I’m not going to call them out — who say, ‘oh, we got to just move on,'” Khanna said. “You know, if someone is robbing your neighbor’s house, you don’t just say, ‘oh, let’s just move on.’ … This is not a very hard question. Donald Trump has committed impeachable offenses. He should be impeached. It’s not about Trump. It’s about standing up for our constitutional values.”

He also called for impeaching U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — another effort by Massie that Khanna said he supported.

Looking ahead to the November election, Khanna said he had faith in the “resilient spirit” of America — and of Iowa, which he said has played an important role in determining the future of American politics through the Iowa caucuses.

“I believe this country hungers for decency, hungers for people who can argue well, hungers for a sense of reason, and a belief in this nation again, and that’s how I think we have a responsibility to lift up this country to remind what we’re capable of,” Khanna said. “And Iowa, you have been such a part of that.”

Turek, who also spoke at the event, urged Democrats to stay engaged and focused in the final weeks before the election.

“This is the chance,” Turek said. “This is when the pendulum swings back our direction. Opportunities like this do not come around very often. … If we’re able to win this race this year here in Iowa, we will not only make a generational change to the state, we will be able to flip the United States Senate, and we will be able to change this country.”