Iowa Senate race 2026: Hinson vs. Turek

RThe Ledger's profile

Ashley Hinson

U.S. Representative for Iowa's 2nd District and 2026 Republican nominee for U.S. Senate; former KCRG-TV reporter and two-term Iowa House member.

Read the documented profile of Ashley Hinson

Also on the ballot

Josh Turek

American politician and former Paralympic wheelchair basketball player; Iowa state representative elected in 2022; 2026 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Iowa

The general-election field as the board records it: Ashley Hinson (R) vs. Josh Turek (D) vs. Thomas Laehn (L)

The race at a glance

Board data as of Sep 15, 2026. Ratings are the raters' own current calls; polls are the newest public ones with their field dates; money is what the committees reported. Nothing here is a forecast.

Seat

Open — Joni Ernst (R) retiring (announced Sep 2, 2025)

Primary

Jun 2, 2026 (official ENR electionresults.iowa.gov/IA/126082): R Hinson 153,059 (74.02%) def. Jim Carlin 53,196; D Turek 120,287 (62.61%) def. Zach Wahls 71,663

Ratings

Cook Toss Up (Aug 20); Sabato Lean R (Aug 26); IE Tilt R (Aug 6)

Newest public polling

Rasmussen Sep 8–10 n=1,031 LV: Turek 45 / Hinson 40; YouGov Sep 3–8 n=2,169 RV: Turek 44 / Hinson 43; Emerson Aug 31–Sep 1 n=750 LV: Hinson 50 / Turek 45

Reported money

FEC Jun 30: Hinson $10,217,845 raised / $6,749,491 COH; Turek $6,276,527 / $2,362,314

Notable

Trump endorsed Hinson (Sep 5, 2025). No CFG release names Iowa; the $3.78M anti-Turek buy is FEC-reported only. Trump +13 state in 2024 (Rasmussen).

Key dates in Iowa

Read from the Iowa Secretary of State. The full guide, with the official tools, is on the Iowa page.

• Voter registration deadline (pre-registration)October 19, 2026 is the pre-registration deadline. The Secretary of State's calendar for this election gives the deadline as 5:00 p.m.; online and mailed registrations have their own cutoffs (see the online and mail deadlines). After that date you may still register and vote through Election Day Registration, with proof of identity and residence. sos.iowa.gov
• Online registration deadlineOctober 19, 2026, at or before 11:59 p.m. CT (fifteen days before the election), through the Iowa DOT online system. You need an Iowa driver's license or non-operator ID and the last five digits of your Social Security number. voterready.iowa.gov
• Early voting (in-person absentee) beginsOctober 14, 2026, the first day of absentee voting. In-person absentee voting takes place at your county auditor's office or at a satellite location, if available. voterready.iowa.gov
• Deadline to request an absentee ballot by mailOctober 19, 2026: your original, signed request form must be received by your county auditor before 5:00 p.m. CT. County auditors began accepting requests on August 25, 2026. voterready.iowa.gov
• Deadline to return an absentee ballot (received, not postmarked)November 3, 2026 (Election Day): your absentee ballot must be received in your county auditor's office before 8:00 p.m. CT, whether you mail it or hand deliver it. This is a received-by deadline, not a postmark deadline, and voted absentee ballots cannot be turned in at a polling place. voterready.iowa.gov
• Election DayTuesday, November 3, 2026. voterready.iowa.gov
• Poll hoursPolls are open from 7:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. CT on Election Day, November 3, 2026. voterready.iowa.gov

Voting in Iowa: dates, rules and official tools

Questions and answers