Republicans Are Meddling in Iowa’s Senate Primary

Republicans Are Meddling in Iowa’s Senate Primary

Des Moines, IA – The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) is meddling in the Democratic Senate primary in Iowa. Today, Politico reported that the NRSC fielded a poll to amplify Zach Wahls in an effort to “promote what they view as a weaker candidate.”  

Meanwhile, across Iowa, Turek’s former primary opponents agree Turek is the best candidate to take on Ashley Hinson in November. 

Here’s what they’re saying: 

POLITICO: Republicans are wading in to lowa Democrats’ Senate primary

In an NRSC internal poll shared exclusively with Score, state Sen. Zach Wahls is leading state Rep. Josh Turek in a head-to-head matchup following Nathan Sage’s exit from the race. […] In a memo alongside the poll, which also tested favorability, the NRSC said Wahls “is aligned with where the primary voters are moving.”

Some national Democrats have a preference for Turek in the state. And it isn’t the first time Republicans have sought to promote what they view as a weaker candidate; the NRSC helped nudge Rep. Jasmine Crockett into the Texas Senate Race.

The Bulwark: The Predictable, Ineluctable, Intractable ‘Electability’ Argument

Across Iowa, and even among national Democrats, there is a belief that nominating Wahls might mean forfeiting the party’s already challenging shot at flipping the seat. In August, state Rep. J.D. Scholten dropped out of the same U.S. Senate race and endorsed Turek. “I did not want to take away votes. I did not want to split things,” Scholten explained to me this week. “I’m so adamant about Turek, because he’s our best chance.”

TIME: Is Iowa the Senate Race No One Saw Coming?

Zach Wahls, a fellow state lawmaker representing deep-blue Johnson County, is still in the race and he’s got a national brand thanks to a 2011 viral moment of him testifying in the state House against a proposed ban on same-sex marriages like his mothers’. These days, he’s in the state Senate and has racked up such a progressive record that his GOP critics in Washington have started calling him the Mamdani of Iowa.