Iowa Senate Candidate Turek Says Campaigning Kept Him From Nearly 60% of State House Votes

Democratic State Rep. Josh Turek acknowledged during a Tuesday night debate that he has missed a large share of votes in the Iowa legislature while running for the U.S. Senate, saying his campaign schedule has kept him away from the State House. The exchange came after Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, his opponent for Iowa's open Senate seat, raised his attendance record while both candidates answered a question about the state's rising cancer rates.

Hinson said lawmakers must be present to support measures such as pediatric cancer research, telling the audience that she has invested in legislation to redirect resources toward understanding the cancer crisis. The debate moderator then asked Turek directly why he had missed so many votes. Turek pointed to his travel across Iowa, saying he has met with residents in all 99 counties and appeared at hundreds of public forums. He also noted that he had a more than 90% attendance record during his first three years in the legislature.

When the moderator repeated the question, Turek said he was out campaigning and meeting Iowans. He then turned the criticism toward Hinson, saying she has not held a single in-person town hall since launching her Senate bid. Hinson rejected that characterization, saying she has done more town halls than the percentage of time Turek showed up to work this year. She said Turek attended 42% of the time, which she described as two out of every five workdays, and argued that Iowans who miss that much work would be fired rather than promoted. Hinson also highlighted what she called a bipartisan record, saying she ranks in the top 20% of bipartisan lawmakers in Congress and has a 99% attendance record even while running a statewide campaign.

Turek responded that Hinson had missed 193 votes. A spokesperson for the Hinson campaign later clarified that those 193 missed votes span her entire time in Congress, while the 261 votes Turek missed cover only the 2026 legislative session. The Hinson campaign also disputed the claim that she has held no town halls, saying she has held 47 in-person town halls and more than 30 telephone town halls since being elected to Congress. The campaign said Hinson has a 98.8% lifetime voting record while Turek registered a 42% voting record in the State House this year. It added that Hinson missed 16% of committee amendment votes over her congressional tenure but has been present for all final passage votes on the Appropriations Committee, totaling 70 bills since 2021.

The dispute over attendance has become a central line of attack in a closely watched Senate race. Turek, a state representative, has been endorsed by former President Barack Obama, while Hinson, a House Republican, has been backed by President Donald Trump. The debate gave both candidates a chance to press their case before Iowa voters, with Hinson using the exchange to argue that showing up is a basic requirement for elected office and Turek framing his time away from the State House as a necessary part of meeting voters across the state.

Turek and his campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the debate. The Senate seat is open, and the race is expected to remain competitive through the fall.

3Views

Author

Connor Quincy

Technology Reporter

Connor Quincy covers public affairs, politics, business, culture and daily news for Core Memo. The role focuses on verification, context, and clear explanations for readers.

All articles by this author