On Tuesday night, Iowa Democratic voters nominated Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medal winner and two-time winner of an Iowa state House district that voted for Trump, for the open U.S. Senate seat in Iowa.
Iowa voted for Trump by 13 points in 2024, but this is a very winnable race and Josh Turek is a great candidate. Here’s why:
Josh Turek has a great story: Turek overcame 21 surgeries by the age of 12 to twice win gold medals playing wheelchair basketball for Team USA in the 2016 and 2020 Paralympics. He was born with spina bifida, which he believes was caused by his father’s exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.
Josh Turek can win in red areas: Trump voters are not some sort of abhorrent, alien concept for Turek. His father voted for Trump, and Turek represents a state House district in Iowa that voted for Trump. In fact, Turek represents the reddest state House district held by any Democrat in Iowa. There is nothing theoretical about this: Turek has proven that he knows how to win as a Democrat in red territory.
Iowa has swung sharply against Republicans: As Donald Trump’s tariffs, Medicaid cuts, and war against Iran hit agricultural communities the hardest, no state has turned more sharply against Republicans than Iowa. Across the six special elections held in the state since the beginning of 2025, the Democratic candidate performed an average of 22 points better than Kamala Harris in 2024. (This includes Catelin Drey’s 22-point overperformance last August, as many of you may remember.) Further, Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is the second least popular governor in the entire nation, according to Morning Consult. In fact, Iowa has swung so far against Trump that Trump’s endorsed candidate lost the Republican primary for governor.
If Josh Turek wins Iowa, then Democratic chances of winning the U.S. Senate skyrocket. The specific consequences of a Democratic-controlled Senate, which I have detailed in the past, include the end of Donald Trump’s legislative agenda and the beginning of real investigations of Trump administration wrongdoing. It will also mean that the confirmation of Donald Trump’s judicial and executive branch nominations will grind to a halt.
I have made an ActBlue page so that you can split a donation between Josh Turek for U.S. Senate and Bowers Kerbel Media. In the interests of transparency, Bowers Kerbel Media is the two-person, pro-democracy and pro-Democratic organization that runs Wolves and Sheep and the Bowers News Media news and activism email list. The amount you give to each entity on the page can be adjusted by clicking “customize amounts.” No donation to Bowers Kerbel Media is required to donate to Josh Turek. You can find out more about, and directly support, Josh Turek on his campaign website.
I've been excited about Josh Turek for a few months now! Seeing how he climbs up people's stairs with his wheelchair to go door to door is one example of how he puts in the effort for voters.