Josh Turek to Face Rep. Ashley Hinson in 2026 Iowa U.S. Senate Race

U.S. Senate in Iowa on June 2, 2026, defeating state Sen. Zach Wahls. Rep. Ashley Hinson won the Republican nomination the same day by defeating former state Sen.

Jim Carlin. The general election will pit Bohannan against Hinson for the seat vacated by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who announced in 2025 that she would not seek a third term. Ernst was first elected to the Senate in 2014 after defeating retiring Democratic Sen.

Tom Harkin. Bohannan is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who flipped a GOP-held Iowa House seat in 2022. She campaigned at the Des Moines Farmers Market on May 23, 2026, received backing from former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and had the tacit support of Sen.

Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. VoteVets spent on her behalf. Wahls campaigned in Waukee on May 23, 2026, and was endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. The Democratic primary drew national attention and outside spending.

Hinson is in her third term representing Iowa's 2nd Congressional District. She flipped a Democratic-held House seat in 2020 and was backed by President Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the National Republican Senatorial Committee, and Ernst. The Iowa Senate seat is a top target for Democrats in the 2026 midterms.

The race is one of about a dozen contests that will determine whether Republicans retain their slim Senate majority. Republicans currently hold both of Iowa's Senate seats, all four congressional districts, and all statewide offices except state auditor. Trump carried Iowa by nine points in 2016, eight points in 2020, and 13 points in November 2024.

Iowa Democrats flipped two GOP-held state Senate seats in special elections in 2025.