ICYMI: “Iowa Republican Group Endorses Turek in U.S. Senate Race”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 9, 2026

ICYMI: “Iowa Republican Group Endorses Turek in U.S. Senate Race”

Des Moines, IA – Last week, the Josh Turek for Iowa campaign launched “Republicans for Turek,” a coalition of 60+ current and former registered Republicans from across Iowa who are committed to mobilizing their communities to elect Josh.

One of Iowa’s most effective and bipartisan leaders, Josh has voted with Republicans more than 700 times to cut taxes, lower costs, and keep Iowans safe. Josh represents the reddest seat won by a Democrat in 2024 and represented Team USA at four Paralympic games – he knows what it means to represent Iowans across the political spectrum, and in the U.S. Senate, he’ll be a Senator for all Iowans.

Meanwhile, his opponent Ashley Hinson is the least bipartisan member of the Iowa Congressional delegation. Instead of fighting for Iowans, Hinson has “fought for a tax break that benefits her own fortune,” “lied about owning stock,” used campaign funds on “lavish vacations to some of the most exclusive luxury resorts in the U.S.,” and increased her wealth by up to ten times while in office all while her husband, who holds a “government affairs post at a leading insurance industry lobbying group,” helped his lobbying group “gain access to Hinson and other Iowa lawmakers.”

Missed it? See below for highlights.

Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil: 20 Republicans from Pottawattamie County join new Josh Turek coalition

More than 60 current and former Iowa Republicans have joined “Republicans for Turek,” a coalition supporting Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek, according to his campaign.
The list released Friday includes 20 people from Pottawattamie County, including former Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, who is co-chairing the group with Scott Kaas of Allamakee County.
Walsh said he first endorsed Turek during his 2022 campaign for the Iowa House, when Walsh was serving as Council Bluffs’ mayor. He said Turek’s approach to working with people across party lines was a major reason for his support.
“I first endorsed Josh for the Iowa legislature because I saw a candidate who would always fight for his constituents, no matter what party they belong to,” Walsh said in a statement released by the campaign. “I know he’ll do the same in the Senate because that’s the kind of guy he is.”

The Gazette: Hinson rolls out sheriff endorsements; Turek unveils GOP endorsements

Turek’s campaign recently launched “Republicans for Turek,” a coalition it says includes more than 60 current and former registered Republicans from across Iowa. The group is co-chaired by Scott Kaas of Allamakee County, who previously voted for Hinson, and former Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, a Republican who also endorsed Turek during his first campaign for the Iowa House.
Turek has made bipartisanship a central part of his Senate campaign, pointing to votes he has cast alongside at least some Republicans during his four years in the Iowa House.
“I saw firsthand how Josh is willing to work across the aisle to get things done,” Kaas said in announcing the coalition, adding that he believes Turek would take the same approach in the U.S. Senate.

KHQA: Iowa Republican group endorses Turek in U.S. Senate race

On Friday, a group of Iowa Republicans announced their support for Democratic nominee Josh Turek in the U.S. Senate race.
“Republicans for Turek” is comprised of more than 60 current and former state party members.
“I’ve been a lifelong Republican and have voted Republican all my life. I met Josh Turek in early 2024 while working on pediatric cancer research with the Iowa legislature. Josh has supported pediatric cancer research in the state of Iowa for my daughter Devin and kids across Iowa. I saw firsthand how Josh is willing to work across the aisle to get things done, and I believe Josh will do the same when he’s a U.S. Senator,” Kass said.
“As the sitting Republican mayor in 2022, I saw something special in Josh that you rarely see in other candidates — sincerity, honesty, and someone who has common sense — when I chose to endorse him in his first election to the Iowa State House. I would take that chance again. Josh has always kept his word and remained faithful to his community. I first endorsed Josh for the Iowa legislature because I saw a candidate who would always fight for his constituents — no matter what party they belong to. I know he’ll do the same in the Senate because that’s the kind of guy he is,” Walsh said.

Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil: Josh Turek emphasizes bipartisan record in Council Bluffs campaign stop

U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek returned to his hometown on Monday, using a campaign appearance to highlight his record of working with Republicans.
“I first ran to represent my hometown of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake because of what we were seeing with the privatization of Medicaid,” Turek said. “We were seeing a 1,000% increase in the denial rate for literally the most vulnerable in society, and all Iowans deserve to have basic healthcare.”
Turek said his campaign for the Iowa House began in a district where Republicans had a significant advantage, but he believed he could win by speaking directly with voters regardless of their political affiliation.
He said he knocked on the doors of Republican and independent voters as well as those of Democrats, including carrying his wheelchair upstairs to reach some voters — a visual he replicated the day before the Democratic primary canvassing in Council Bluffs.
“I’m very proud to be one of the most effective and one of the most bipartisan members because that’s what people deserve — representatives who care and who are going to go to work in a bipartisan fashion to provide solutions to people’s problems,” Turek said. “I’ve worked across the aisle more than 700 times, voted with Republicans to cut taxes, to lower costs, to keep our community safe, and that’s exactly what I will do in the United States Senate.”
“I’m running to take on the corruption that we’re seeing of both parties,” Turek said. “Iowans across the state and across the political spectrum are paying the cost of that corruption.”
He said his experience as a Paralympic athlete shaped his approach to public service, arguing that elected officials should represent everyone rather than only members of their own political party.
“Regardless if this was a Republican idea or a Democratic idea, let’s do what’s best for the people,” Turek told The Nonpareil. “I think that’s what’s missing: people that are willing to work across the aisle, willing to work with anyone.”
In a news release Monday afternoon, Turek’s campaign touted that he voted with Republicans more than 700 times in the Iowa Legislature, where Republicans control both chambers.
“I want to be a senator for all Iowans, regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum,” Turek said. “Republicans, independents, Democrats — I want to represent anyone because we should be voting for the person, not for the party.”

###