An Iowa LGBTQ+ group has hit out at Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek after a recent campaign ad in which Turek addressed his stance on transgender issues.
The feud comes only one week before the midterm elections, with Iowa's Senate race between Turek and Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson considered among the tightest, most competitive battles this cycle. Both candidates are doubling down on their campaigns for the hotly contested U.S. Senate seat, which could flip the upper chamber where Republicans currently have control. Turek and Hinson have both campaigned on issues such as healthcare and rising costs, but transgender issues have emerged in Turek's campaign messaging as well.
In the ad, Turek addresses his stance on transgender athletes competing in sports and on gender-affirming care. Last week, when President Donald Trump was visiting Iowa to campaign with Hinson, the president accused Turek of voting "to allow schools to turn your children transgender without informing the parents," a statement that sparked boos from the audience. Trump went on to say that Turek voted in favor of "taxpayer-funded transgender mutilization surgeries" and that Turek "wants men in girls' bathrooms."
While Trump was not mentioned in the ad, Turek said he opposed transgender athletes competing in women's sports and that taxpayers shouldn't pay for gender-affirming care. His comments sparked a scathing response from One Iowa Action, a statewide LGBTQ+ group in Iowa. The statement, which was posted to One Iowa Action's Facebook page on Monday, criticized both Republican and Democratic campaigns about their stances on transgender topics and specifically called out Turek in regard to his recent ad.
"We unequivocally condemn Josh Turek’s recently released campaign ad and the policy shift it represents," the statement said.
Newsweek reached out to Turek's campaign via email for comment on Tuesday.
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What Did Turek Say About Transgender Care in the Ad?
In the new ad, Turek discusses his stance on transgender issues.
"As a kid in a wheelchair, I faced my share of bullying. That's why I believe that no Iowan should face discrimination. As a Paralympian, I also know it's important to have rules," Turek said. "It's why I oppose males competing in female sports, something that is already illegal in Iowa. I'm against taxpayers paying for sex changes, too."
Turek finishes the ad with: "It's time to stop the nonsense from both extremes and start to focus on lowering costs for Iowans."
"While we are surprised and disappointed by Turek's recent campaign ad, One Iowa Action knows that candidates can do better," One Iowa Action executive director Max Mowitz told Newsweek on Tuesday. "There's no better example of this than our list of carefully vetted and endorsed candidates for this year's state races. These candidates understand that throwing the Trans community under the bus only hurts our state and does nothing to address the real issues Iowans are facing, including rising costs and cancer rates. We want LGBTQ+ community members to know that we're fighting for you and that we deserve better."
Backlash to Turek's New Ad
One Iowa Action expressed concern that Turek's ad implies that if elected to the U.S. Senate, he would vote to prohibit Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care.
"When we met with Turek in the aftermath of his first post-primary statement regarding exclusion of trans athletes, we thought he understood our complaints," the group's statement said. "He assured us that his personal exclusionary beliefs regarding trans athletes would never translate to policy, and he confidently promised that he would not roll out new policy stances that directly contradicted his voting record in the Iowa legislature. That was a lie."
It went on to condemn Hinson as well, calling her "no friend to LGBTQ+ Iowans" before saying that there "is no light between Hinson and Turek" when it comes to Medicaid policy issues for transgender people.
"Their policies on this issue are the same, and that is a dangerous escalation," the statement said. "This places Josh Turek as the most trans exclusionary federal Democrat on the ballot anywhere in the country. We cannot and will not let this go unaddressed."
Turek's ad also drew criticism from colleague Iowa Democratic State Representative Aime Wichtendahl, who is the first transgender woman elected to the state legislature, according to a report by KTIV. Wichtendahl and Turek, who is currently a state representative, worked together during Iowa's last legislative session.
“You don’t need to throw people under the bus to win elections," Wichtendahl said in the report. "The plain fact is that these talking points don’t win elections. These talking points aren’t going to gain you anything with the voters."
Why the Iowa Senate Race Matters in the 2026 Midterms
Democrats are hoping to flip control of both the House and the Senate in this year's midterm elections. Republicans are trying to fight off a blue wave as Trump's approval ratings continue to slide and voters express concerns tied to the economy, inflation, rising fuel costs and the Iran war.
Iowa had been thought to be a safe spot for Republicans, having last elected a Democrat to the Senate in 2008 and to the governor's mansion in 2006. The state also backed Trump in all three of his White House runs, including by 13 points in 2024. But as Democrats have gained momentum, the state has become a prime target as one of the four GOP seats they need to flip—while defending their own—to take control of the upper chamber.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Edward T. Cummins