Obama endorses Iowa representative Josh Turek for US Senate seat

Former President Barack Obama formally endorsed Democratic nominee Josh Turek for Iowa’s open Senate seat on Wednesday.The former commander in chief backed the state representative, who won the Democratic Senate primary by a 24.8-point margin, in a video of the two playing basketball. Before launching his political career in Iowa, Turek won two Paralympic gold medals in wheelchair basketball for Team USA in 2016 and 2020, competing in four Paralympic Games.Obama, also famously a basketball fan, announced his endorsement of Turek with a video of the two playing “I-O-W-A,” a spin-off of the shooting game “H-O-R-S-E,” which Turek won. “I’ve seen enough. Not only did I get whooped, but you’ve got here a man of character, somebody who knows how to win,” Obama said. “Now the ball’s in your court, Iowa. Let’s make sure that we send Josh Turek to the United States Senate.”Obama’s endorsement carries weight in the purple-red Hawkeye State, as the former president won the state in both the 2008 and 2012 elections, defeating John McCain by 9.3 percentage points and Romney by 5.6 points. But the state has swung further right in recent presidential elections, backing President Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and, most recently, 2024 by a 13.3-point margin.Trump’s margins and the state’s sitting GOP Senate delegation bode well for Trump-endorsed Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA). Hinson is also backed by both Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and retiring Joni Ernst (R-IA), each a longtime GOP titan of Iowa politics.Hinson and Turek agreed this week on two debates ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, with the dates yet to be determined. In her statement accepting the debate, Hinson hit Turek hard on his state legislature record and his votes related to transgender policies for minors and illegal immigrants.“Josh is a liberal who owes Iowans answers on why he missed more than half the votes in the legislature while collecting more than $20,000 in daily per-diem from taxpayers,” Hinson said in a statement. “What’s worse is, when he did decide to show up for work, Josh voted to let kids change their gender without parental consent and to give taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants.”Meanwhile, Turek has continued to hit Hinson for her support for the war in Iran.“By voting to continue this war in Iran, Ashley Hinson has once again shown that she does not care about Iowans. As gas prices hit nearly $4 per gallon and our farmers deal with skyrocketing input prices, Hinson is voting to support a war with no end in sight,” Turek said in a statement after the House vote to support an end to the war.BUTTIGIEG HOPES TO BOOST JOSH TUREK AS IOWA CANDIDATE’S FUNDRAISING LAGS BEHIND ASHLEY HINSONElection forecaster Cook Political Report pings the seat as “leans Republican” in its 2026 race ratings. Hinson also leads Turek in fundraising numbers, with Hinson boasting over $6.7 million in cash on hand, while Turek has over $2.3 million.Turek and Hinson have been pretty much split in the available general election polling. In the most recent New York Times/Siena University poll, Hinson led Turek by 2 points.