Josh Turek (D) defeated Zach Wahls (D) in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate in Iowa on June 2, 2026. Incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst (R) did not run for re-election.
The Cook Political Report's Jessica Taylor described this race as one of the 2026 primaries in which Democrats debated about what type of candidate would be more electable in a general election: "Do you need to energize your base more to get them to turn out, or do you need to win over the middle?”
According to the Des Moines Register's Stephen Gruber-Miller and Brianne Pfannenstiel, "[Wahls] is seen as the liberal candidate. He argues that a union-supported progressive with a working-class message can cut through the noise and energize the Democratic base. [...] Turek casts a more moderate image that his supporters believe will appeal to independents and disaffected Republicans.”
