US senate could be next move for Iowa gold medalist

DES MOINES, Iowa -- As the final weeks of the Iowa legislative wind down, they may lead to a new contest for one lawmaker: a U.S. Senate campaign. State Representative Josh Turek, a Council Bluffs Democrat who is in his second term, said that he thinks that Iowans would benefit from a self-described “moderate” to represent their futures.

Turek previously confirmed to Gray Media Iowa that he is considering a run for the seat held by U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, in 2026.

“I think we all can recognize that we are a state and certainly a country in crisis,” Turek said. “People are losing faith in their bedrock institutions in democracy and their legislators.”

One of the reasons for that, Turek believes, is that many Iowans struggle financially and billionaires in Washington, D.C. -- President Donald Trump and his appointed Department of Government Efficiency advisor Elon Musk -- are not committed to their best interests.

“We’ve moved into essentially like a functional oligarchy,” Turek said.

“I know what it’s like to struggle, and so many people are struggling . And we need legislators, we need representatives. That’s at the state level, the local level, and certainly at the federal level that are doing this not for the money, not for the power, not for the prestige, but are out there to genuinely do the work of the people,” Turek explained. “And that’s what we’ve gotten away from. And I would consider myself a moderate and a genuine populist.”

Turek wants to see Congress focus on raising the federal minimum wage, reducing cost for families, affordable health care and housing, and fighting for the most vulnerable including the elderly and the disabled.

Turek has been in a wheelchair since he was a child and lives with Spinal bifida, a genetic condition where a baby’s spine doesn’t form properly.

Turek is a four-time member of the U.S. Summer Paralympic basketball team and won two gold medals and one bronze medal in international competition. He credits a former longtime Iowa political leader for ensuring opportunities for people like himself.

“My political hero is Senator Tom Harkin. And for 30 years here in Iowa, we had we were a state of balance. We we had (U.S. Senator Chuck) Grassley (a Republican) and we had Tom Harkin (a Democrat),” Turek said.

“And I think that ultimately at its core, Iowa still is a purple state. And yet we have no representation whatsoever at the federal level. And I am the Americans with Disabilities Act generation.”

Harkin authored the Americans with Disabilities Act, landmark federal civil rights legislation that protected people of all abilities from discrimination in housing, education, employment, and transportation.

Turek said, “It’s because of the policies of what Senator Harkin was able to get across that someone like me with a disability...has a form of condition called Spina bifida. I’m a wheelchair user. That I have been able to have the the educational and the occupational opportunities. That is because of good policy at the state level or at the federal level. That’s something couldn’t be done at the state level. And I think that it is just vitally important that we have individuals up there like what Senator Harkin did in fighting for the people, a genuine prairie populist.”

Two of Turek’s Democratic legislative colleagues have also confirmed to Gray Media Iowa that they are considering a campaign for the party’s U.S. Senate nomination: Sioux City state Representative J.D. Scholten and Coralville state Senator Zach Wahls.

There is only one Democrat who has officially confirmed that he is running for the position: Nathan Sage, a military veteran and executive director at the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, launched his campaign on April 16th.

About the author: Midwest native Dave Price is Gray Television’s Iowa Political Director for nine stations that broadcast in the state and has been covering local, state and national politics from Iowa since 2001.

Dave produces and hosts “Inside Iowa Politics,” a weekly, in-depth show focused on interviews with top leaders on politics, issues, challenges and solutions that impact the state.

He has written two books about the Iowa Caucuses (“Caucus Chaos” and “Caucus Chaos Trump”). Email him at dave.price@gray.tv. Follow him on X (Twitter): @idaveprice Meta/Facebook: DavePriceNews Instagram: idaveprice and LinkedIn: Dave Price.