ICYMI: Josh Turek Won the First Week of the General Election

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 5, 2026

ICYMI: Josh Turek Won the First Week of the General Election

In the days after he “dominated” the primary, Josh had multiple raters move the race in his favor, raised over $1M in 48 hours, and hit a media blitz

Des Moines, IA — In the days after his carrying 96 out of 99 counties to win the Democratic primary, U.S. Senate Candidate Josh Turek kicked off the general election with a banner week that shows the unmatched momentum and strength he has going into the general election.

Missed Josh winning the week? See below for the highlights.

First, immediately after Josh’s win, multiple race raters moved the race in his favor.

Cook Political Report: The overall environment in the Hawkeye State is an increasingly favorable one for Democrats given backlash to tariffs and rising fuel and fertilizer prices as a result of the Iran War. Politico reported Tuesday that Hinson said at a recent campaign event that the war will become a “political liability” if it goes on much longer…National Democrats believe that Turek’s life story will resonate with independent and disaffected GOP voters…Turek also has a history of winning in areas President Donald Trump carried.

Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Some of the Trump administration’s trade policies, compounded with the Iran War’s fallout, may be especially harsh in farm states like Iowa.

Then, Josh blanketed airwaves bringing his message of prairie populism directly to voters.

Morning Joe“Iowans are legitimately ready for change. My message to all the folks out there would be that we are not a red state, we are a common sense state that has masqueraded more red than what we are […] This is a state that has completely bottomed out […] when you hit the bottom, people are ready for change.”

The Briefing with Jen Psaki“I’m out here talking about the need for a public option because I believe that health care is a human right. You’re absolutely correct, we have a unique-to-Iowa cancer crisis […] Ashley Hinson has done nothing about it other than to cut health care and close health care clinics.”

Out Front with Erin Burnett“Ashley Hinson has just made vote after vote after vote to hurt Iowans […] The word that we hear the most is ‘betrayal’ […] Iowans are ready for change and they’re ready for a common sense prairie populist like myself that is gonna go out there and fight for the people, not just the billionaires and the large corporations.”

Endless Urgency with Mike Nellis“I felt hope and optimism in people’s eyes, seeing that for the first time in a long time, and clearly our message of common sense prairie populism and this once-in-a-generation opportunity to have somebody in the United States Senate fighting for the people, fighting for the have nots, really resonated with people.”

The Bulwark“By the time I would get up there, they would always say, ‘How in the world did you get up here?’ And I would say, ‘I dragged my wheelchair up here. That’s how important your vote is.’ And then I would find, regardless of where they sat on the political spectrum, they would be willing to give me a few minutes of their time, even if they were a hardcore Republican […] And I would hear over and over and over on the doors, even Republicans that would say, ‘I’m not going to vote for every single Democrat, but I like your kind of Democrat.’”

Finally, Josh raised $1M in the 48 hours following his win.

The $1M comes from over 16,000 individual donations. Since the campaign’s launch, more than 62,000 donors have chipped in to support Josh, highlighting the grassroots nature of this campaign.

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