In bright-red Iowa, the Democratic field vying to unseat Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) grew to five on Tuesday as state Rep. Josh Turek jumped into the race.
A former Paralympian with two gold medals in wheelchair basketball, Turek represents Council Bluffs in Iowa’s far west. After being born with spina bifida, which his family ties to his father’s Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam, Turek faced 21 surgeries by age 12, and ultimately rose to become a two-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball.
Turek first won his state House seat in 2022 by just six votes. Two years later, he outpaced Democrats across Iowa, running over 13 points ahead of former Vice President Kamala Harris in his district. In a two-minute launch video, he framed himself as an underdog who has found ways to win in Trump country.
I was born an underdog. 21 surgeries by the age of 12 for spina bifida. A kid wearing goodwill hand-me-downs. I knew nothing would come easy, but I never doubted my right to the American dream.
Now, I’m running for the U.S. Senate to make sure all Iowans have a shot at theirs. pic.twitter.com/G7j4zYFErW
— Josh Turek (@turek4iowa) August 12, 2025
“I’m tired of Iowans being taken for granted. I wasn’t supposed to be able to win the state House seat that Trump won twice, but I campaigned just like I played basketball, outworking everyone, pushing the hills, crawling the stairs, all just to have a conversation with everyday Iowans, did not matter the party,” Turek said in the video.
In the video, Turek contrasts former Democratic Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, who championed the Americans with Disabilities Act and expanded opportunities for people like him, with Ernst, accusing her of shutting people out by cutting healthcare, restricting access to food assistance, and prioritizing tax breaks for billionaires, dismissing concerns, he says, with the attitude that “we all are going to die.”
The Democratic primary lineup also features state Sen. Zach Wahls, Jackie Norris, chairwoman of the Des Moines School Board and former chief of staff to Michelle Obama, J.D. Scholten, a state senator and ex-professional baseball player, and Nathan Sage, an Iraq War veteran and head of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce.
Each of the five Democrats in the race has taken aim at Ernst’s support for a Republican budget that cuts Medicaid. Multiple launch videos also called out her “we are all going to die” town hall comment.
The number of contenders points to Democratic optimism that voter backlash to President Donald Trump’s second term could make the race competitive in a state he won by 13 points, but also to uncertainty about the party’s most effective strategies in GOP territory.
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While Ernst has yet to declare a 2026 reelection bid, she has brought on a campaign manager and set the date for her annual Roast and Ride fundraiser in October. Two Republicans, former state Sen. Jim Carlin and Joshua Smith, have already announced plans to challenge her in the primary.