Iowa is one of the states where the Democrats aspire to wrest a seat from the Republicans: the Democrat Josh Turek faces Republican Ashley Hinson for the seat being vacated by Senator Joni Ernst.
An AtlasIntel poll places Turek four points ahead of his rival. The survey, conducted between October 28 and November 1 among 1,219 likely voters, gives the Democrat 50.5% of the support, compared with Hinson's 46.4%.
From the basketball courts to state politics
Josh Turek was born in 1979 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He studied at Southwest Minnesota State University and developed a career as a professional basketball player in Europe. He was also part of the US wheelchair basketball team and took part in four editions of the Paralympic Games, in which he won three medals: two golds and a bronze.
After his sporting career, he worked in the field of mobility and assistive technology for people with disabilities and collaborated with the Ryan Martin Foundation, dedicated to facilitating access to sport for children with disabilities. In 2022 he was elected member of the Iowa House of Representatives for district 20, a post for which he was reelected in 2024.
An open seat after Joni Ernst's withdrawal
The race pits Turek against Ashley Hinson, Republican congresswoman for Iowa. Senator Joni Ernst, who has held the seat since 2015, decided not to run for reelection, which has turned the contest into an opportunity for Democrats to try to change the political color of state representation in the upper chamber.
The result may influence the balance of power in the Senate, where the Republicans start with a majority. Turek aspires to become the first Democratic senator from Iowa since Tom Harkin, who left office in January 2015.