Iowa primary elections: Josh Turek to face Ashley Hinson for US Senate seat

Iowa voters nominated candidates in primary elections held on Tuesday, setting the stage for months of fervent campaigning ahead of the November midterms in which the state may play a significant role in deciding the balance of power in Congress.

A red state that the GOP has dominated for the past decade, Democrats believe they can be competitive in three of its four House races, its Senate election, and the contest to replace Kim Reynolds, the retiring Republican governor.

Here’s who came out ahead in the primary, according to results verified by the Associated Press:

US Senate

The race to replace retiring Republican senator Joni Ernst saw two Democrats face off in a primary that became a proxy for which direction to take their party following the desultory 2024 election. According to the AP, the winner was Josh Turek, the state house representative who benefited from millions of dollars in outside spending and had the endorsement of a slew of top Democrats.

He defeated Zach Wahls, the state senator who pitched himself to voters as an outsider who would stand up to party elites including Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader whom he blamed for weakening the party.

The primary between the two men became contentious, as Wahls alleged that his opponent was the favorite of the Democratic establishment, pointing to more than $5m in spending to promote Turek by VoteVets, a Pac that has previously received money from Schumer’s campaign fund.

Turek countered that he was the more electable candidate since he had won office in a western Iowa district that leaned conservative, while Wahls represented a liberal area in eastern Iowa.

Turek will face Ashley Hinson, a Republican US representative who Donald Trump endorsed to replace Ernst.