On Wednesday, October 7th, Democratic nominee Josh Turek and Republican nominee Ashley Hinson met in Johnston, Iowa, to discuss their platforms and concerns ahead of the November election.
Council Bluffs native Josh Turek is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and democratic member of the Iowa House of Representatives. Turek is seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate, a position that has not been held by an Iowa Democrat since 2008.
Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is running on the Republican ticket in hopes of securing a Senate seat next to Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley (R). Born and raised in Des Moines, Hinson worked as a journalist for KCRG-TV9 before beginning her political career.
Both candidates addressed a wide range of topics regarding diesel prices, the war in Iran, and what Iowans can expect if either candidate is elected.
On September 22nd, Hinson proposed a diesel relief program to immediately lower gas and diesel prices for Iowans. When asked what Congress needs to do to help farmers, Hinson began by saying that diesel prices are at the top of her several-point energy plan. Factors such as road infrastructure and fertilizer prices would also be accounted for in her plan.
Much like Hinson, Turek is in favor of a temporary gas tax suspension. Turek went on to say he also supports a ban on diesel exports, and that Hinson is at fault for rising diesel prices because she has voted in favor of the war in Iran 7 times.
Hinson emphasized the importance of making sure Iran does not have a nuclear weapon and claims, “we need to bring it (the war) to an immediate and successful end.”
“I trust in our U.S. military, the greatest fighting force in the world, to bring this to a close as quickly as possible, because I know people are getting squeezed,” Hinson added.
Although Turek agrees with the significance of keeping a nuclear weapon out of Iran, he attributes the war to the rising cost of gas and stated, “We spent over $1 billion in Iran. For what? Meanwhile, we’re being told here in Iowa, we don’t have money for roads, schools, and hospitals and lead the nation in farm foreclosures.”
In light of concerns surrounding the war in Iran, tariffs emerged as a key topic up for debate, considering Iowa and Canada’s strong trade relationship. Hinson calls attention to the importance of having a strong relationship with Canada, Mexico, and “whoever will open their markets to us.”
Turek believes tariffs have hurt Iowa more than any other state. He went on to claim Hinson has voted several times against measures to terminate the administration’s tariffs, to which Hinson replied, “I think it’s really important to note that my opponent decided not to show up for work 58% of the time this year on policies that could have helped support Iowans and Iowa farmers, including the Iowa Farm Bill.”
Hinson’s remark is attributed to Turek’s 58.1 percent missed vote rate, which applies to Iowa House floor votes.
Regarding the Farm Bill, both candidates discussed their support, with Hinson advocating for the inclusion of her “Save Our Bacon” act, which she believes is crucial to supporting Iowa farmers.
Although democrats have refused to support the Bill over rules that require states to pay 75 percent of administrative costs for SNAP, Turek claims he would have voted for it because he believes, “perfection should not stand in the way of progress.”
Medicaid and Social Security were among the most discussed topics of the evening. Both candidates have addressed their non-partisanship, with Turek going as far as proclaiming his support for the One Big Beautiful Bill.
“When you put together one big, beautiful bill, as it’s called, you’re going to have a handful of things that I actually am in favor of. I’ve said that, and I’ve been open about it,” Turek said.
However, Medicaid cuts are something he disapproves of and believes are being done to give billionaires a tax break.
Hinson pointed out that Medicaid is one of the highest enrolled programs in the country, and stated, “We want it to be there for our working poor people who have a little skin in the game.”
In reference to Social Security, Turek is in favor of lifting the cap, and says it is an earned benefit. He continued by stating, “Ashley Hinson has floated the idea of raising the age of Social Security. She has supported cuts to the Social Security Administration, which even led to the closure of the Social Security Administration in Decorah.”
Hinson argues she has never supported cuts to Social Security, and that lifting the cap will not fix all problems. She advocated for a bipartisan commission to make the decisions and present them to Congress.
Voting registration is open, and Election Day takes place Tuesday, November 3rd. Click here for more information regarding Election Day in Iowa.
Audio Narration: N/A | Visuals: Kade Grierson | Photography: Solomon Wong
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