Misleading Claims Surface in Iowa Senate Race
In one of the most fiercely contested Senate races this year, Iowa’s political landscape is witnessing a heated battle between Republican candidate Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek. A recent attack ad by Hinson has drawn criticism for misrepresenting Turek’s legislative record and political stance.
Hinson’s campaign, in collaboration with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), released an ad titled “Josh Turek: The Darling of the Radical Left.” The advertisement makes several claims, alleging that Turek supports welfare benefits and voting rights for undocumented immigrants, as well as taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries.
These assertions, however, do not align with Turek’s actual legislative record. Known for his bipartisan efforts, Turek has frequently voted alongside Republicans on numerous occasions, including measures to reduce property and income taxes. Additionally, he has supported legislation to increase penalties for repeat domestic violence offenders and has taken a firm stance against the fentanyl trade.
The claim that Turek supports welfare for undocumented immigrants appears to be based on his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB). This budget law, passed solely with Republican votes, includes a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid, threatening health insurance for approximately 12 million Americans, and reiterates existing federal prohibitions against undocumented individuals enrolling in Medicaid. Turek has opposed the law primarily due to these Medicaid cuts.
Similarly, allegations regarding Turek’s support for voting rights for undocumented immigrants are misleading. Federal law prohibits undocumented individuals from voting, and occurrences of such incidents are extremely rare according to analyses.
Regarding the claim about gender-affirming surgeries, Turek’s opposition to a 2025 Health and Human Services Budget bill, which included a provision preventing Medicaid from covering these procedures, stemmed from concerns over Medicaid waitlists and provider shortages rather than endorsement of the surgeries themselves. In a floor speech, Turek stated, “We’ve got 670,000 Iowans that are on Medicaid. We’ve got 180,000 of those on Medicaid expansion. We need to do everything that we can to protect these. Health care should be a human right.”
The ad’s distortions might indicate Republican anxiety as recent polls show Hinson’s lead over Turek narrowing to less than two percentage points. Notably, a Democrat has not claimed a U.S. Senate seat in Iowa since 2008.
