Democratic · U.S. Senate, Iowa
General election Tuesday, Nov 3, 2026
← Iowa U.S. Senate race · All Iowa races
State representative from the 20th district (2023–present).
Turek obtained a bachelor's degree from Southwest Minnesota State University and a master's degree in business administration from DeVry University.
Also running: Ashley Hinson (R) · Thomas Laehn (L)
Grouped by topic by Vote Book; headings and quoted words are the candidate’s own, with the source under each one. “As reported” items are a news outlet’s description, not an exact quote.
Our immigration system is broken and needs comprehensive reform.
Our immigration system is broken because politicians in Washington refuse to work across the aisle to fix it. We deserve a functional immigration system that keeps our borders secure and enforces our laws and simplifies the path to citizenship – two goals that are not mutually exclusive. That’s why Josh will work …
What changes would you make to the federal immigration enforcement practices to ensure all residents are treated with dignity, civilian’s constitutional rights are protected, and people’s rights to free speech, assembly, and civic participation are not violated?
This issue is personal to me – I am married to an Afro-Latina immigrant. I saw firsthand how broken our immigration system is when she was initially denied citizenship and pulled off voter rolls multiple times. We can have safe and secure borders and an easier pathway to earned citizenship for those who want to make this country better. Those two goals are not mutually exclusive. What we are seeing from ICE right now is unacceptable and unAmerican. Families like mine are scared. ICE needs immediate reform including ensuring agents are not masked, requiring body cameras, ensuring use of force standards, and protecting sensitive places like schools, churches, and hospitals.
We must protect and defend our fundamental freedoms.
Josh knows that our fundamental rights and freedoms are under attack from Washington, including our freedom of speech, the freedom to marry who we love, and the freedom for women to make their own decisions about reproductive health care. He spoke out against legislation removing antidiscrimination protections for …
What will you do to combat the underlying issues driving the inflation rate such as the rising costs of housing, childcare, energy, and groceries?
First and most immediately, we need to end this unnecessary and reckless war in Iran that is driving up the cost of everything. We also need to end the chaotic tariffs that have decimated Iowa’s farmers and led to higher costs at the grocery store. Two of the largest drivers of costs in America are the influence of private equity and the lack of anti-trust enforcement. I called for a moratorium on private equity purchasing single family homes, farmland, and health care centers because Wall Street firms are jacking up prices and making it impossible for people to compete. We need to fight consolidation, break up monopolies, and ban vertical integration so large multinational corporations can’t keep maximizing profits off the working class.
Each and every American should be able to afford the basics.
Josh knows the American Dream is getting further and further away for too many families who are struggling to put food on the table, make rent, and achieve the dream of homeownership. Washington continues to undermine workers’ rights, hollowing out the middle class, while billionaires and big corporations rake in …
In the Senate, Josh will fight to
Cut taxes for the middle class and working families and close loopholes for billionaires and big corporations. Impose a federal ban on price gouging on food so Iowans pay less at the grocery store. Raise the minimum wage and pass legislation that ties regular raises to inflation to ensure a livable wage. Ban Wall …
How do you see Congress fulfilling its constitutionally mandated role as a check on the President and Executive Branch’s power and what additional steps will you propose?
We need a Congress that is going to stop this out of control executive. When I’m elected to the Senate, I will do my duty to uphold and defend the constitution and be part of a Congress that does not allow the President to abuse his power. The first step to restoring a balance of power is winning elections so we can flip the House and the Senate. I am the only candidate in the Democratic primary who has ever even run against a Republican, and in 2024, I was the top over-performing Democrat in the state of Iowa. We need to do everything we can to ensure Ashley Hinson – who promised to be Trump’s top ally in the Senate – never gets there. Unlike Hinson, I will always put Iowa and Iowans first. I am battle-tested and I know I can defeat her.
What are the top three challenges facing our country today and what do you propose to address them?
I underwent 21 surgeries before I was 12, so I understand the importance of health care as a human right, and I will fight for a public option. The top issue I hear from Iowans is that they are struggling to make ends meet. That's why I am laser focused on lowering costs for Iowans by raising the minimum wage, fighting for affordable housing, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and ensuring billionaires and corporations pay their fair share. We need to address the root of the affordability crisis – corruption – by overturning Citizens United, passing the DISCLOSE Act, instituting term limits, banning Members of Congress and their families from trading stock, and requiring all Members of Congress to hold at least one town hall a year.
What three Congressional actions will you support to protect, preserve, and enhance America’s democracy and why?
The lack of campaign finance reform in this country is a major reason we are seeing our democracy eroded. Billionaires and large corporations are buying off politicians and elections and we have too many people in Washington who are beholden to their corporate donors. That is why I support overturning Citizens United, and it’s why I’m not taking a dime of corporate PAC money. Too many Members of Congress are also more focused on enriching themselves than helping their constituents, which is why I support banning Members of Congress and their families from owning and trading stocks. We also need to fight attacks on voting rights, particularly those that attack mail-in voting which disproportionately impact the disabled population.
Josh Turek is not a current member of Congress, so there is no congressional roll-call record to show. State legislative or local records are not yet compiled.