Josh Turek pitches "generational change" in tight Iowa Senate race
In Iowa's crucial Senate race, Democrat Josh Turek pitched his campaign as an opportunity for a "generational change."
Key points
- Democrat Josh Turek is running against Republican Ashley Hinson for Iowa's open Senate seat.
- Turek pitches a generational change and says he would work with President Trump where they agree.
- Turek says Iowa is hurting more than almost any other state, citing energy prices, tariffs and healthcare.
Democrat Josh Turek is campaigning in western Iowa in the final hours of a Senate race he calls possibly the closest on the national map. He faces Republican Ashley Hinson for the seat left open by GOP Sen. Joni Ernst's retirement. Turek, a state lawmaker, appeared with former Sen. Tom Harkin at stops in Le Mars and Onawa on Monday.
Turek is pitching the race as a chance for a generational change in a state that has moved right in recent years. He likens himself to Harkin, calling him a common-sense prairie populist, and says he would work with President Trump the same way he has in the Iowa legislature.
Working with Trump
Turek told CBS News he does not believe any party has a monopoly on good ideas. He said he agrees with Trump on no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security, and on driving private equity out of housing. Asked about Trump's rally in Iowa on Sunday, Turek said it was good for the president to come out because he does not think Trump understands the challenges Iowans face.
Some supporters like his openness. Doug Zima, 76, said he has never seen the country so divisive and that the division needs to stop.
This may very well be the closest election on the entire U.S. Senate map.
— Josh Turek
Closing message and opponent
Turek's closing message centers on high gas and diesel prices, which he ties to Hinson, and on the state's high cancer rates. He invoked Ronald Reagan's 1980 question, asking whether Iowans are better off than they were four or six years ago.
Hinson has presented herself as a fighter for Iowa and a minivan-driving mom. She argues Turek is too liberal for Iowa and has said she would push back on Trump when needed, including calling for the Iran war to come to an immediate and successful end to bring down energy prices.
