Political expert Charlie Cook, the founder of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said Monday he thinks Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand will win Iowa’s gubernatorial election, but the U.S. Senate race between State Rep. Josh Turek and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson may not be as competitive as Democrats might think. Cook said Iowa is no […]
U.S. Senate election
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Turek took in more money than Hinson over last reporting period; three of four Democrats running for U.S. House outraise Republicans
U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek and three of the four Democrats running for U.S. House in Iowa raised more money than their Republican competitors during the most recent campaign finance reporting period, according to reports published by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week. The reports are for the FEC’s second quarter, which covers the […]
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Josh Turek leads Ashley Hinson in one of two new election polls; Rob Sand beats Zach Lahn in both
Two polls covering the race for governor and the race for Iowa’s open Senate seat were published last week. Rob Sand was one percentage point ahead of Zach Lahn in a New York Times/Siena poll, but in a Fox News poll published one day later, Sand leads Lahn by nine percentage points. For the Senate race, the polls disagreed on which candidate is ahead.
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Lahn beats Trump-backed Feenstra by less than 1% of the vote; Turek scores landslide victory over Wahls
It was almost midnight when the Associated Press finally declared a winner in the Republican race for governor in Tuesday’s primary. By that time, Randy Feenstra, the presumed frontrunner in the race, had conceded to winner Zach Lahn, and the Iowa Democratic Party and Democratic Governors Association had already sent out statements, both of which […]
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Complaint against Sen. Zach Wahls dismissed by Iowa Senate Ethics Committee, citing lack of evidence
The Iowa Senate Ethics Committee voted Friday to dismiss a complaint against state Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, for his past employment as executive director of the Next 50 Network while serving in the state Legislature. The complaint, filed by Kathy Ulrich of Cedar Rapids, alleges Wahls, who is running to become the Democratic candidate for […]
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One day after exiting the Senate race, Nathan Sage endorses Josh Turek, calls Zach Wahls ‘not authentic’
One day after ending his own run for the U.S. Senate, Nathan Sage endorsed Josh Turek for the Democratic nomination for Senate. In a statement on Monday, Sage said that both he and Turek come from working-class families “and it’s time we have more folks like us in Washington.” Sage, a veteran who served in […]
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‘Spineless, shameful bullshit’: Iowa Democratic candidates for Senate oppose funding deal with Republicans
As eight Senate Democrats broke with their party on Sunday night to vote for a Republican spending bill that would end the shutdown of the federal government but not restore the healthcare subsidies Democrats had made their central demand, the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) was hosting its Liberty and Justice Dinner in Des Moines. The […]
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GOP federal candidates outraise Democrats in Iowa — with one exception
Though there have been many shake-ups in Iowa heading into the 2026 campaign season, Republican candidates have largely kept their fundraising leads in Iowa’s U.S. Senate and House races, according to the most recent Federal Election Commission reports. Iowa will have open races for two U.S. House seats, as well as for governor and U.S. […]
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Jackie Norris ends Senate bid, will focus on Des Moines School Board issues
Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris has dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. Norris, who launched her campaign for Sen. Joni Ernst’s seat on Aug. 5, announced her decision in a news release on Thursday. Norris’s withdrawal came one day after Axios Des Moines reported Norris had confirmed […]
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Ashley Hinson pledges loyalty to Trump, throws Zach Wahls a jab at Senate campaign kickoff
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, officially launching her U.S. Senate campaign in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, said Iowa Republicans can’t be complacent in 2026 if they want President Donald Trump to be able to accomplish his agenda. The Marion Republican announced her run earlier in September, hours after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said she would not […]
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Hinson praises Trump as the ‘best president in history’ as he endorses her for Senate
Jim Carlin, the first Iowa Republican to launch a run for Senate this year, has spent the better part of a decade loudly proclaiming his loyalty to Donald Trump, including endorsing the false conspiracy theories Trump favors. Shortly after the November 2020 election, Carlin, then a member of the Iowa Senate, was a featured speaker […]
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Ernst announces she will not run for Senate as Hinson hops into the race
Sen. Joni Ernst made it official on Tuesday: “After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026.” In a video message posted on social media, Ernst said representing Iowa in the U.S. Senate over the last 11 years was “the privilege of a lifetime.” While Ernst’s fellow Republicans […]
