ICYMI: Josh Turek Held Roundtable on Cancer Crisis in Iowa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2026

ICYMI: Josh Turek Held Roundtable on Cancer Crisis in Iowa

Des Moines, IA – Yesterday, U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek held a roundtable discussion to hear directly from Iowans about their experiences with the state’s rising cancer rate.

Like so many Iowans, the cancer crisis has impacted Josh personally. Josh lost his grandmother to pancreatic cancer; his father has battled several bouts of cancer due to his exposure to Agent Orange; and within days of launching his U.S. Senate campaign, Josh’s sister was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer.

While Josh is laser-focused on investing in cancer research and ensuring Iowans can get the care they need, Ashley Hinson voted to rip health care away from more than 110,000 Iowans, voted to hike healthcare premiums for 119,000 Iowans, and voted against capping the cost of prescription drugs.

Missed it? See below for highlights.

Iowa Capital Dispatch: Turek highlights cancer advocacy, pledges support if elected to U.S. Senate

Iowa Rep. Josh Turek said Wednesday his work across the aisle to support pediatric cancer research and funding in the state Legislature shows he would be the best candidate to advocate for these priorities in the U.S. Senate
Turek, the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s open Senate seat, spoke to cancer patients, advocates and volunteers at a “coffee cancer chat” in Cedar Rapids, hosted by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN).
Cancer has become a top issue on the Iowa campaign trail this election season because of the state’s position as having the fastest-rising cancer rate and the second-highest number of new incidences of cancer in the nation.
Turek said Wednesday his work to address cancer in Iowa began well before his 2026 campaign for U.S. Senate, as he worked on legislation related to cancer as a member of the Iowa House.
Turek said the first year he was in the Iowa Legislature, 2023, he advocated for a bill to dedicate $1 for every Iowan toward pediatric cancer research at the University of Iowa — a similar proposal to the measure supported by Iowa House Republicans this session. Ultimately, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law providing $3 million in funding for pediatric cancer research through a 5-cent tax on vapes and alternative nicotine products, which Turek said represented “a form” of his proposal.
“As you’ve heard me say, even here today, with some of the examples that I gave you, sometimes you don’t end up getting credit for the work that you end up doing on these bills, but what I’ve learned in the Legislature is, it’s amazing what we can get done with people who don’t care who takes credit,” Turek said. “And when we’re willing to work to do the hard work behind the scenes, to work in a bipartisan manner, to get results. And that’s what I’d like to do. I’m not going up there to play political games, I’m going up there to make sure that people have healthcare, and people are taken care of.”

The Gazette: Josh Turek: Funding needed to address Iowa cancer crisis

Turek heard testimonies and fielded policy questions from multiple Iowans — including cancer survivors, caregivers, awareness advocates and researchers — at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s “Cancer Coffee Chat” at the Shuttleworth & Ingersoll law office.
Turek began his remarks by highlighting his personal experience with cancer. His grandfather died of pancreatic cancer, which Turek described as “one of the most horrific experiences that I’ve ever seen someone go through.” His father was exposed to Agent Orange while in Vietnam, which led to throat and skin cancers, Turek said.
Most recently, Turek’s sister was diagnosed with breast cancer around the time he launched his campaign for the U.S. Senate. Turek said her private insurance denied her claim for a PET scan to see if the cancer had spread because her cancer was at Stage 2, not Stage 3 or Stage 4.
“I would love to see guardrails on insurance companies because I believe that doctors should be deciding care, not insurance companies,” Turek said.

The Des Moines Register: Josh Turek talks cancer rates, water quality, Medicaid with advocates

Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Josh Turek spoke with cancer prevention advocates about reversing federal Medicaid spending cuts, addressing Iowa’s water quality and about the impact that cancer has had on his family.
“Cancer has been something that has touched my life and I care very deeply about it,” he said.
“If I only got one thing done in the U.S. Senate I would love to arrive at a public option so that every American, every Iowan, has access to care,” Turek said. “And I would love to, even if it means only six years in the U.S. Senate, coming back and saying we made meaningful progress on this cancer issue, and Iowa no longer leads the nation in cancer rates.”
As he often has on the campaign trail, Turek said he wants to reverse the Medicaid spending cuts passed last year in Republicans’ “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” as well as restoring the lapsed enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies.
“With the Big, Beautiful Bill, we’re looking at 110,000 Iowans losing health care. Because of the ACA cuts, 119,000 Iowans seeing their health care premiums double, triple,” he said. “So with me, you’re going to have somebody that is going to be fighting not only for funding specifically for cancer but we’ve got to be able to have the supports in place, providers, services and supports, for individuals to actually be able to have the care that they need.”

Iowa City Press-Citizen: Watch Josh Turek talk cancer research and funding, water quality

And so on the front side, on the prevention side, on funding for research to really get to the bottom of this, to find genuine cures, and then also on the side to make sure we have the funding in place so that we have the infrastructure for healthcare, and we’re not just closing healthcare clinics over and over because it’s the totality of this to be able to address this. I’ll be fighting for every single one of these issues.”

KCRG: Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Turek Says Expanding Health Care And Investing More In Cancer Research Would Be Priorities For Him If Elected

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek says expanding health care and investing more in cancer research would be priorities for him if elected. Turek met with cancer survivors and advocates in Cedar Rapids today to discuss how he says the federal government can better support patients and those at risk of developing cancer.
Turek says the issue is personal – pointing to his own experience navigating the healthcare system with spina bifida and his own sister’s cancer diagnosis. He says he wants to put more limits on insurance companies while expanding access to coverage, cancer research and clinical trials.
Turek pledged to be an advocate for cancer patients in the Senate, saying the cost of getting care should not force families into medical debt or bankruptcy.

KGAN: Senate candidate Josh Turek discusses cancer rates with survivors in Cedar Rapids

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek met with cancer survivors and others affected by cancer Wednesday in Cedar Rapids, where he discussed health care access, tobacco policy and cancer research.
Turek also highlighted work he has pursued as a state lawmaker.
“I ran a bill to put $1 for every Iowan for pediatric cancer research,” Turek said. “Another area that I worked on in the legislature is there’s a bladder cancer epidemic for individuals that use intermittent catheters.”
Turek also signed “The Cancer Promise,” which means he’ll advocate for policies to support investments in cancer research and prevention, improving access to affordable health care, and ensuring access to cancer prevention and early detection services, according to the ACS CAN website.

Radio Iowa: U.S. Senate candidate Turek outlines his ideas for federal action on cancer

Democrat Josh Turek says if he’s elected to the U.S. Senate, he’ll vote to increase funding for cancer research and for Medicaid, the government funded insurance program that many cancer patients rely upon.
“If I only got one thing done in the U.S. Senate, I would love to arrive at a public option so every American, every Iowan has access to care,” Turek said during a forum in Cedar Rapids yesterday, “and I would love to, even if it means only six years in the Senate, coming back and saying, ‘We made meaningful progress on this cancer issue.’”
Iowa has the nation’s second highest rate of new cancer cases. The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 23,000 Iowans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer this year. During the forum hosted by the group’s Cancer Action Network, Turek said addressing water quality issues is an important part to reducing Iowa’s cancer rate.
“Cancer has been something that has touched my life and I feel very deeply about it,” Turek said. “I would love to see guardrails on insurance companies because I believe that doctors should be deciding care, not insurance companies.”

CSPAN: U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Turek (D-IA) Hosts Cancer Conversation in Cedar Rapids, IA

[JOSH]: If we really want to address this, we’ve got to put supports and investment into rural communities. And one of the best ways, I say that you have to have a rural healthcare clinic to have a vibrant rural community. It’s one of the pillars of the community, and unfortunately what we’re seeing with these cuts and the Medicaid cuts in particular, they disproportionately affect rural communities.
And, you know, I was fortunate, I grew up in an urban area. In Council Bluffs, we had two great hospitals. Jennie Ed and CH Mercy. I’m going through these rural communities and I’m seeing folks who are just saying, “For me to be able to have any sort of healthcare access, I’m driving an hour, an hour and a half.” The fact that we’re basically dead last for Medicare reimbursements, Medicaid reimbursements, OBGYNs, mental health providers, mental health supports, it’s a healthcare crisis that is leading to a cancer crisis. And both need to be addressed. And the only way we’re going to be able to address it is to finally prioritize this issue, and by that it certainly is going to need more funding.

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