Josh Turek pitches "generational change" in tight Iowa Senate race

Sioux City, Iowa — Democratic Senate hopeful Josh Turek was lasting with erstwhile Sen. Tom Harkin successful a driveway successful a tiny Western Iowa municipality erstwhile the erstwhile legislator pulled retired his telephone to amusement the campaigner something.

"Oh my God," Turek said arsenic helium leaned implicit to glimpse astatine Harkin's phone, which appeared to amusement the prediction marketplace Kalshi's likelihood for the Senate race.

The likelihood had Turek up implicit GOP campaigner Ashley Hinson, 52% to 48%. But Turek knows the contention against Hinson is making retired to beryllium 1 of the astir competitory Senate contests successful the country. He said arsenic overmuch determination successful the last hours of the campaign.

"This whitethorn precise good beryllium the closest predetermination connected the full U.S. Senate map," Turek said, surrounded by a tiny assemblage of supporters astatine the canvass motorboat successful Le Mars, Iowa. 

He's pitching the contention successful Iowa arsenic an accidental for a "generational change." After moving close successful caller years, a departure from its erstwhile presumption arsenic a battleground, the authorities could nonstop a Democrat to the governor's bureau this twelvemonth and flip a fistful of House seats — on with a intimately watched Senate spot near unfastened by GOP Sen. Joni Ernst's retirement. 

A authorities lawmaker, Turek likens himself to Harkin, whom helium calls a "common-sense prairie populist." And Turek doesn't eschew things that others successful his enactment mightiness see a span excessively far, similar moving with President Trump. 

"How volition I enactment with him? In the nonstop aforesaid mode that I've done successful the Iowa legislature," Turek told CBS News astatine the run halt Monday. "I don't judge that immoderate enactment has a monopoly connected bully ideas. And I've said openly that I hold with President Trump that we should person nary taxation connected tips, overtime, Social Security, and driving backstage equity retired of housing, for example."

Turek said "on a batch of these issues," helium sees an accidental to find agreement.

Asked astir the president's sojourn to Iowa for a rally connected Sunday, which marked his 2nd successful the Hawkeye State successful a substance of weeks, Turek said, "I thought it was bully for him to travel retired here" due to the fact that "I don't deliberation helium understands" the challenges Iowans face.

"I deliberation it was bully to spot what healthcare cuts are doing to a authorities with a healthcare and a crab crisis," helium said. "That it is bully for him to spot what has happened with the tariffs and with the warfare successful Iran, due to the fact that some person wounded Iowa much than immoderate different state."

Some of Turek's supporters accidental they similar his willingness to enactment with the president. At different run halt successful Onawa, Iowa, earlier Monday, Doug Zima lauded the openness.

"I'm 76 years old, I person ne'er seen the United States truthful divisive," Zima said. "I've ne'er seen families not get on due to the fact that of this silly Republican-Democrat division, and it needs to stop."

On the airwaves, Turek's closing connection to Iowans has centered connected precocious state and diesel prices, which helium has tied to his opponent, whom helium argues hasn't done capable to combat the president connected tariffs and the Iran war. He besides highlights the state's precocious crab rates. 

And connected what volition beryllium among his last stops connected the run trail, the Iowa Democrat invoked a Republican erstwhile president successful his closing pitch.

"My connection is simply a akin connection to what Ronald Reagan said erstwhile helium archetypal ran for bureau successful 1980, and that is, 'Are you amended disconnected than you were 4 years ago?' Are you amended off? Are Iowans amended disconnected than they were 2 years ago, 4 years oregon six years agone erstwhile Ashley Hinson archetypal ran?" Turek said.

For her part, Hinson has pitched herself to Iowa arsenic a combatant for the state, often speaking of being a minivan-driving ma who is acceptable to get things done for Iowa. And portion she pledged to beryllium the president's "top ally" aboriginal connected successful the run and has campaigned with Mr. Trump, she's tweaked that connection successful caller weeks, promising to propulsion backmost connected Mr. Trump erstwhile needed. 

More broadly, Hinson argues that Turek is excessively wide for Iowa, and pledged to enactment with members of some parties to get results. She has called successful caller weeks for the Iran warfare to travel to an "immediate and palmy end" successful bid to bring down vigor prices, breaking with the president.

In a caller interrogation with CBS News, Hinson called herself an "Iowa common-sense conservative" who is "pro-Iowa ... nary substance who's the president."

On the run way Monday, Turek said Iowans "are hurting much than astir immoderate different state." He rattled disconnected a laundry database of troubles facing the Hawkeye State, pointing to a contracting economy, arsenic good arsenic healthcare, crab and h2o prime crises. He cited the nationalist acquisition system, farmers who are going into foreclosure, unpopular tariffs, the warfare successful Iran and precocious vigor prices.

"Every azygous mode it's going successful the incorrect direction," helium said. "And there's a amended mode to bash this."

Turek, a erstwhile Paralympic wheelchair hoops subordinate who grew up with spina bifida that helium attributes to his father's vulnerability to Agent Orange successful Vietnam, said he's pushing to beryllium a combatant for Iowans similar him, who person experienced economical and health-related struggles.

"There's a batch of radical successful D.C. that travel from wealthiness and privilege. I don't deliberation there's that batch of places similar wherever I travel from, Council Bluffs, Iowa," Turek said. "I deliberation erstwhile you've experienced that yourself firsthand, you'll person a antithetic level of understanding, a antithetic level of compassion, a antithetic level of empathy, and a antithetic level of fight."

The sentiment resonated with 1 voter, Dan Hicks, who said he's an independent. But helium said helium supports Turek due to the fact that helium "actually talks much similar maine than a politician."

Standing alongside Harkin, the past Democrat to beryllium elected to the Senate successful Iowa, Turek argued that Iowans privation a legislator similar they had successful the Iowa Democrat. Harkin, who represented the authorities for 3 decades and has appeared with Turek connected run stops passim the state, spoke of returning to "some amended practice successful the United States Senate."

It's a anticipation that seemed unthinkable astatine the commencement of the cycle. But similar a fig of states that supported Mr. Trump by treble digits successful 2024, it present appears connected the array for Democrats heading into Election Day. 

As helium rallied volunteers to sound connected doors, Turek said, "We conscionable got contiguous and tomorrow."

"But if we bash this, if we triumph this predetermination present successful Iowa, we volition not lone marque a generational alteration to the authorities of Iowa," helium said, "we volition alteration this country."