Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Representative Josh Turek are leaning into bipartisan appeals in their campaigns for the U.S. Senate, casting themselves as advocates willing to put state priorities ahead of party loyalty.
The open-seat contest to succeed retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst has emerged as a crucial battleground in the fight for the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate. Iowa's midterms also feature high-stakes contests including the governor's office and three competitive Republican-held House districts.
Democrats view the race as a rare opening in the agricultural heartland. The party is aiming to capitalize on voter frustration over the economic fallout from President Donald Trump’s trade tariffs, as well as rising domestic fuel prices tied to ongoing conflict in Iran that have hit farmers particularly hard.
Although Iowa has voted Republican in the Senate elections since 2008, the Cook Political Report has listed Iowa's Senate race as a "toss up." The Hawkeye State also has a history of voting for presidential candidates from both political parties. Trump won Iowa the last three election cycles, but before that, President Barack Obama won Iowa twice.
“Both candidates need to appeal to Iowa's independents,” University of Iowa political science professor Timothy Hagle told Newsweek. These voters “generally don't care about the political infighting and want officeholders to get things done on the ‘kitchen table’ issues,” he added.
In interviews with ABC News' This Week that aired Sunday, Turek called himself a “proud moderate” and said Trump has done a “better job” than former President Joe Biden on border control. Meanwhile, when Trump-endorsed Hinson was asked about her pledge to be the president's biggest ally in the Senate, she said: “I will be someone's ally when they're with me on the issues that are important to Iowa, and that's what I mean by that across the board. And if they're wrong, I'm going to pick a fight with them, no matter who that is.”
...
Vanderbilt University political science professor John Geer told Newsweek he thinks the Iowa candidates’ focus on working across the political aisle is reflective of broader pressures on both parties.
“The public wants problems solved, especially affordability, and are less interested in partisan labels,” he said.
Both campaigns have questioned the sincerity of the other’s commitment to bipartisanship, with Hinson telling Turek during their October 7 debate: “You trashed the president during the primary, and now you're doing ads saying you're going to work with him. It's a tale of two Tureks.”
One of Hinson’s biggest departures from Trump has been on the Iran war. Last month, she called for an “immediate end” to the conflict, saying Iowans were being “squeezed” economically because of it.
Turek’s campaign has targeted this, previously telling Newsweek she was trying to "rewrite her record" saying she “voted to continue the war because she is a multimillionaire who doesn’t care that Iowans are paying more.”
Newsweek has contacted offices for Turek and Hinson via email for comment.
Turek Breaks with Party on Rural Outreach, Policy
Turek separated himself from the Democratic Party in his This Week interview when asked whether he thought the party had moved too far left.
“I don't think a lot about the party as a whole. I think about myself, and I think about Iowa,” he said.
He also criticized the party for focusing too much on Iowa’s cities and neglecting rural communities. “I don't think enough candidates spent time out in small communities like this,” Turek said, referring to Shell Rock where he was interviewed by Jonathan Karl. "Ultimately, this is a rural state, and you have to be willing to go to all 99 counties,” he added.
Besides siding with how Trump has handled border security, Turek said he agreed with the president that “we need to drive private equity out of housing” and that “we should have no tax on tips, overtime, and Social Security.”
Sunday’s interview was not the first time Turek has spoken positively about Trump. In a previous campaign ad, Turek said: “In the U.S. Senate, I'll work with anyone to fix it, including President Trump, to secure the border, stop the flow of drugs into Iowa.”
Turek also said on Sunday that he does not “vilify people for voting for Trump,” saying the president had “accurately identified the problem” when he raised concerns about grocery prices, corruption, electricity costs and keeping the country out of “forever wars.” But he went on to criticize the administration for its foreign policy and what he called “more consolidation of wealth and power to a handful of individuals.”
The state representative said he had never approached his work through “the guise of tribalism,” instead voting based on his district, his conscience and what he believed was best for Iowa.
Hinson Signals Willingness to Push Back on Trump
Besides Hinson saying that she would only be an ally to Trump if it served Iowans, she also spoke against the president's positive assessment of the economy, saying on Sunday that it “sure doesn't feel like it right now.”
She criticized Democrats for voting against tax cuts she argued would have helped “working families” but added that getting Trump to help bring gas prices down was a major priority for her.
“This is something I nag the president on a lot,” the Senate hopeful said. “It's crucial for our economy. I think it's a great consumer choice policy too to let consumers at the pump choose.”
During Sunday’s interview, Hinson, who has been a supporter of Ukraine in its ongoing war against Russia, also spoke out about Trump’s U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff who told Russian President Vladimir Putin he was a “humanitarian” for authorizing the release of American prisoner Stephen Hubbard.
“He's not a humanitarian, he’s a murderer,” Hinson said. "I don't think we should be making deals with murderers and dictators," she added, referencing Trump’s agreement with Putin for Russia to supply millions of tons of diesel fuel to global markets to help lower fuel prices.
"I think that Ukraine is a freedom-loving country. I had a chance to travel there a few years ago and meet with President [Volodymyr] Zelensky and the people of Ukraine," Hinson said. "They're incredibly resilient, and we should not be allowing a dictator to win."
She previously said she planned to tell Trump the agreement was a “bad idea." On Sunday, the congresswoman said she is “not afraid to tell Trump when I think he's wrong on something.”
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Anthony Murray and Tobias Meyjes.