Iowa Democrats Nominate Turek for Senate, Sand for Governor in Midterm Primaries

Turek, a 47-year-old two-time Paralympic gold medalist, won his state House seat by six votes in 2022 and expanded his margin to five percentage points in 2024. Turek centered his campaign on electability, arguing that his record in a district carried three times by President Donald Trump positioned him to compete statewide.

He described himself as a "prairie populist" focused on healthcare costs, housing prices, farm expenses and small-business concerns.

Iowa's gross domestic product fell 6.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025, one of the steepest declines nationally. The agricultural and manufacturing sectors have faced pressure from tariffs, with hundreds of jobs lost at factories and meat processors and some rural clinics closing.

Farm bankruptcies in Iowa more than doubled in 2025 to 18 filings, a 220 percent increase from the prior year, according to the American Farm Bureau Federation. Net farm income is projected to drop nearly 24 percent in 2026, the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center at the University of Missouri reported.

Corn and soybean farmer Mark Mueller of Waverly said, "We are running out of patience.

State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat holding statewide office in Iowa, won the Democratic primary for governor. Sand raised $18 million for his campaign and leads Republican Randy Feenstra 51 percent to 39 percent in an Echelon Insights poll, with independents favoring the Democrat.

" Sand first won statewide office in 2018 by defeating a Republican incumbent and was reelected in 2022.

Turek will face Hinson, who received Trump's endorsement after entering the race. An Echelon Insights survey showed Turek ahead 46 percent to 37 percent, while a GBAO poll of 1,200 likely voters found Hinson leading 47 percent to 43 percent. Prediction markets give Republicans a 61 percent chance of retaining the seat.

Democrats are also contesting three House districts, including the open 2nd District vacated by Hinson's Senate bid. Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Democrats cannot reposition themselves quickly enough to overcome the party's structural advantages in the state.