In a matter of days, Josh Turek won the Iowa PBS Senate primary debate, broke 50% in a new primary poll, and secured the backing of Iowa legend Senator Tom Harkin. With momentum at his back and twenty three days until Election Day, Josh’s campaign is looking stronger than ever.
Missed Josh winning the week? See below for a rundown.
First, Josh won the Iowa PBS Senate primary debate.
- Iowa Public Radio: Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, initially won his statehouse seat in a red part of the state in 2022 by beating out his Republican opponent by just six votes. It’s a victory he said could translate to flipping a U.S. Senate seat…“I’m battle tested. I know what it takes to win, and there’s something specific about my story, my background, my resume and my politics focusing on ‘prairie populism’ that has a unique ability to be able to resonate with independents and moderate Republicans,” he said.
- KCAU: “We don’t have enough individuals that are out there actually looking out for Iowa and Iowans, looking out for the middle class,” said Turek. “That is why, two things: I think that we need more individuals like myself from Council Bluffs, Iowa with the lived experience, both on the economic and healthcare side, to actually go up there and fight for the people. We don’t need any more millionaires like Zach Wahls and Ashley Hinson.”
Then, Turek for Iowa released a new poll showing Josh breaking 50%, leading his opponent 53-27.
- Politico’s Adam Wren: Scooplet: An internal @turek4iowa poll post-debate has him up over 50 percent in Iowa, leading @ZachWahls 53-27.
- Pop Base:
To round out the week, Iowa legend Senator Tom Harkin endorsed Josh to win back the seat he held for 30 years.
- Iowa News Now: Tom Harkin, Iowa’s last Democrat to serve in the U.S. Senate, endorsed Josh Turek on Friday.
- Radio Iowa: Harkin, who won five statewide elections, said he has “a pretty good idea of what it takes to win and then represent all Iowans, not just those who voted for you.” He cites Turek’s six vote win for a seat in the Iowa House and Turek’s re-election by six points in 2024 “in a very challenging area for Democrats.”
- Des Moines Register: “Josh Turek has the Iowa values, the Iowa work ethic, the Iowa ‘can do’ spirit, and has won election and re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives in a very challenging area for Democrats,” Harkin said.
