WASHINGTON — Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek took down lefty foe Zach Wahls on Tuesday in the Democratic primary for an open competitive Senate seat.
Turek, a former wheelchair basketball Paralympian, has excited the establishment wing of the Democratic Party and will face GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson in November.
Wahls, who went viral in 2011 for crusading against a state constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, had ginned up the far-left flank of the party by championing LGBTQ issues and combating a “rigged” economy.
A state senator who previously served as the chamber’s minority leader, Wahls had vowed to oppose Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) if he got elected to the upper chamber.
The Iowa Senate primary race proved to be something of a microcosm of the broader battle for the soul of the Democratic Party between moderates and progressives.
Turek, by contrast, signaled that he’d be more of a team player, declaring that he’s “running against Ashley Hinson and Trump,” not Schumer. He’s also conveyed a patriotic message that he hopes will play well in the Hawkeye State.
“I’m uniquely the American Dream. In no other country on Earth could someone who’s gone through the economic struggle and the health care situation I grew up in be ultimately able to accomplish what I’ve been able to accomplish,” Turek said, per KCRG.
Once considered something of a purple state, Democrats haven’t won a statewide election in Iowa since former President Barack Obama’s presidential reelection in 2012.
Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the Senate. Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand has cited North Carolina, Maine, Ohio, and Alaska as their top four prospects.
But argued that four longer-shot prospects are: Texas, Iowa, Florida, and Mississippi.
Hinson easily defeated former state Sen. Jim Carlin in a primary. President Trump has endorsed Hinson to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).
