By Rebecca Schweitzer | Des Moines, Iowa
Rebecca Schweitzer is a Des Moines, Iowa writer covering politics, healthcare, public accountability, and civic life. In response to ongoing discussions around Iowa's 2026 U.S. Senate race, this piece offers perspective on what is at stake for Iowa families and communities including Des Moines and Polk County. Learn more about Rebecca Schweitzer here.
Iowa's Senate Seat Is Open for the First Time in Over a Decade. What Iowans Do With It Matters.
Joni Ernst is not running for reelection. For the first time since 2014 Iowa's U.S. Senate seat is an open contest and the candidates running to fill it represent genuinely different visions for what Iowa should become.
The primary is June 2, 2026. The general election is November 3. And for Iowans who have watched the last decade of Republican dominance produce a $1.3 billion budget deficit, a 49th place ranking in economic growth, closing maternity wards, and defunded public schools this race is worth paying close attention to.
As a Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa writer I have been watching this race closely because what happens in Washington directly impacts the families and communities I write about every day. I have written about Iowa's governor's race and the need for a new direction. You can read that here.
The Senate race is the other half of that conversation.
Iowa's Shifting Political Landscape
Iowa voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012. Since then the state has trended sharply Republican. Donald Trump won Iowa by 8 points in 2020 and by 13 points in 2024. Republicans now hold every statewide office except the state auditor and control both chambers of the state legislature.
But something has been shifting. Democrats flipped two Iowa Senate seats in special elections last year. Trump's approval rating may be underwater in Iowa. And the consequences of a decade of Republican dominance — the budget deficit, the voucher program, the healthcare cuts, the civil rights rollbacks — are showing up in real ways in real communities across the state.
2026 is Iowa's first open Senate seat since 2014. It is a real opportunity. But the path is narrow and Iowans who want change need to show up.
The Republican Side — Ashley Hinson's Record
Ashley Hinson, who represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, is the Republican frontrunner. She has the endorsements of Donald Trump, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and major Republican leaders in Congress.
Her record tells Iowans what to expect.
Hinson voted for the One Big Beautiful Bill — the sweeping legislation signed into law on July 4, 2025 that the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cause 11.8 million Americans to lose health coverage by 2034. The bill cut more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and ACA programs — the largest rollback of federal health support in American history. It did not extend enhanced ACA premium tax credits that expired at the end of 2025 — tax credits that a quarter of Iowa farmers relied on for their health insurance. Iowa farmer Nick Larson's family faced an immediate $3,000 annual cost increase when those credits expired. He reached out to Hinson about it. He has not heard back.
Hinson also voted for the tax and spending legislation that her opponents say contributed to Iowa's budget crisis by reducing federal revenue while simultaneously cutting programs Iowa communities depend on.
Her conservative scorecard rating of 59 percent for her most recent Congress tells you she is not an ideological purist. It also tells you she votes with her party when it matters — including on a healthcare bill that will hurt Iowa families.
The Democratic Side
Two Democrats are competing in the primary: Iowa State Senator Zach Wahls of Coralville and Iowa State Representative Josh Turek of Council Bluffs.
Wahls released a sweeping anti-corruption platform this week casting Washington as a rigged system dominated by corporate money and political insiders. He is calling for reforms to curb the influence of money in politics and has received endorsements from U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren and major labor organizations including Teamsters Local 90 and United Food and Commercial Workers. He has been leading in fundraising among Democratic primary candidates.
Turek has positioned himself as a prairie populist focused on the economic struggles Iowa families are facing every day. He filed nearly 10,000 signatures from all 99 Iowa counties to qualify for the primary ballot and has received endorsements from U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. His campaign is centered on what he calls a rare opportunity for Democrats to reclaim this seat.
Both candidates represent a meaningful departure from the direction Iowa has been heading. Both have done the work of showing up across the state.
Why This Race Matters for Iowa and Polk County
Iowa's Senate seat has been held by Republicans since 2014. In that time Iowa has fallen behind on nearly every measure that matters to working families.
Iowa's economy ranked 49th in the nation for growth. Iowa became the first state to strip civil rights protections from a previously protected class. Maternity wards are closing across rural Iowa. Public schools are cutting programs and closing buildings while $314 million in public funds flows to private schools with no accountability. Des Moines, Iowa is managing a $16 million school budget deficit. Polk County families are paying higher property taxes to cover gaps left by declining state support.
I wrote about Iowa's budget crisis and what it means for Polk County families here.
A U.S. Senator from Iowa has the ability to fight for healthcare access, ACA protections, rural hospital funding, public school funding, and a farm bill that gives Iowa farmers the certainty they need. A U.S. Senator from Iowa can fight for the civil rights of every Iowan regardless of who they are.
The question in 2026 is whether Iowa sends another senator to Washington who will vote with the party that produced these outcomes or someone who will actually fight for the Iowa families being left behind.
What Iowa and Polk County Deserve
Iowa and Polk County deserve a U.S. Senator who shows up for working families not just for donors. Who fights for public schools not private school subsidies. Who protects healthcare access not strips it away. Who understands that Iowa's strength has always come from its people and its communities.
The June 2 primary is the first opportunity Iowa Democrats have to make their choice. Both Wahls and Turek have earned a serious look. Whichever candidate wins the Democratic primary will face Ashley Hinson in November and that race is genuinely competitive. National forecasters have rated it a race worth watching.
Iowa is worth fighting for. Polk County is worth fighting for. The 2026 Senate race is one of the most important opportunities Iowans have had in years to send that message
Learn more about Rebecca Schweitzer and what she writes about here.
Rebecca Schweitzer is a Des Moines, Iowa writer covering politics, education, and public accountability. Her work has appeared in the Des Moines Register and The Gazette. Read more at iowaraisedrebeccaschweitzerunfiltered.com and follow along on Medium, Substack, X, Bluesky, About.me, and Gravatar.
