Josh Turek Defeats Ashley Hinson for Iowa Senate Seat

Democrat Josh Turek defeated Republican Ashley Hinson in Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, winning the open seat after retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst chose not to seek a third term. The Associated Press projected Turek as the winner, and Hinson conceded. The reported results are unofficial, not certified final totals. With all precincts reporting in the AP account, Turek received 50.45% of the vote and Hinson 46.34%. Earlier reported vote snapshots were taken while fewer precincts had reported. The figures do not establish Iowa’s certified canvass, which would confirm the official totals. Turek, an Iowa state representative and two-time Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, will join Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley in the Senate. His victory makes him the first Iowa Democrat to hold the seat since Tom Harkin, who left the Senate in 2015. It also ends more than a decade without a Democrat representing Iowa in the Senate. Speaking at his victory event, Turek said Iowans had shown that the impossible was possible. He also described the Senate as a vehicle for societal change, recalling that Harkin’s work had affected his life. Harkin, the lead author of the 1990 Americans...