Republican Ashley Hinson has launched a television and digital ad campaign attacking Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek for missing votes in the Iowa House, intensifying the race for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat just over two months before Election Day.
Hinson’s campaign announced the 30-second ad, titled “Matters,” on August 15 and is spending seven figures to air it on television and digital platforms, according to campaign spokesperson Billy Fuerst. In the ad, Turek acknowledges missing about half his votes in the Iowa House this year, a claim backed by legislative records showing he missed 58 percent of scheduled votes in 2026—the second-highest absence rate among all state legislators.
The attack on Turek’s voting record is not coming from Hinson’s campaign alone. The Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC dedicated to electing Republicans, is also running its own ad campaign criticizing Turek for the same missed votes. In July, the fund released a statement noting that Turek “skipped 58% of scheduled votes” while still collecting his full taxpayer-funded per diem, which exceeded $20,000.
A Competitive Race Tightens
The missed-votes attack reflects the competitive nature of Iowa’s Senate race. Recent polling shows the race remains tight, with Hinson holding a modest lead. An Emerson College poll from early August showed Hinson at 48 percent support compared to Turek’s 45 percent, with 6 percent undecided. Other recent surveys have shown similar margins, with Hinson ahead by 2 to 3 points on average.
Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who was first elected to the Iowa House in 2022, won the Democratic primary in June with 62.6 percent of the vote. Hinson, a U.S. representative from Iowa’s 2nd district, won the Republican primary in June with 73.9 percent. The race to succeed retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst has become one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country, with Schumer seeing a path to Senate control as Texas and Iowa races shift to toss-ups.
The race has drawn significant outside spending from both parties. The Democratic super PAC Senate Majority PAC has pledged to spend $30 million in Iowa on ads attacking Hinson, primarily over her support for tariffs. Meanwhile, Hinson maintains a significant cash advantage, with $7.6 million in her campaign accounts compared to Turek’s $2.7 million as of the latest reporting.
Turek has launched his own general election advertising, drawing on his Olympic experience and emphasizing his record as the first and only permanently disabled member of the Iowa legislature. The general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
Sources
- Des Moines Register — Details of Hinson’s “Matters” ad, campaign spending, and Turek’s acknowledgment of missed votes
- Fox News — Turek’s 58% missed votes rate and context of absences during fundraising
- Senate Leadership Fund — Republican super PAC ad campaign and voting record statistics
- Emerson College Polling — August 2026 poll showing Hinson at 48%, Turek at 45%
- Real Clear Politics — Aggregated polling averages for Iowa Senate race
- Iowa Public Radio — Confirmation of Hinson’s Senate candidacy following Ernst’s retirement announcement
