Josh Turek, the Paralympic gold medalist seeking a US Senate seat from Iowa

Why was Josh Turek's Iowa House attendance criticized during his Senate campaign?

Expanding his political career, Democratic candidate Josh Turek is running for the US Senate from Iowa in the 2026 midterm elections. He will be competing against former broadcast journalist and Republican nominee Ashley Hinson, as well as Libertarian Thomas Laehn. The elected candidate will succeed Republican Senator Joni Ernst, who is not seeking re-election. Turek's campaign focuses on healthcare costs, wages, affordable housing and clean water.

Turek entered politics in 2022 after retiring from wheelchair basketball, in which he won two Paralympic gold medals for the United States. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives from the 20th district where he represented Council Bluffs. This was his first election which he won by just six votes. He was re-elected in 2024 and has focused on healthcare reform, public education, workers' wages and environmental protection. In June 2026, he won the Democratic nomination for the US Senate, defeating state Senator Zach Wahls in the primary.

Early years and personal life

Born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Turek belongs to a working class family. Born with spina bifida, a congenital condition affecting the spine, he underwent 21 surgeries before the age of 12. His family faced financial difficulties while managing his medical care. He often received assistance through programs such as free summer meals for children. Turek began playing wheelchair basketball in seventh grade, which helped him build a career in sports.

Turek's father served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War and Turek has linked his condition to his father's exposure to Agent Orange. His mother was a social worker and community college instructor. He grew up with siblings in a large family and later married Jarolin, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic. The couple met in Spain while Josh was playing professional wheelchair basketball. They live together in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Turek graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs and later attended Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall, Minnesota, from where he earned a bachelor's degree in history. He even played wheelchair basketball for the university, where he became the program's all-time leading scorer. He later earned a Master of Business Administration from DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management.

Political priorities and vision

In his official campaign, Turek has advocated for increased access to affordable healthcare, proposing a public health insurance option, protecting the Affordable Care Act and restoring Medicaid funding. In the Iowa legislature, he sponsored legislation to cap insulin costs at $25 per month and expand access to dental services under Medicaid. Additionally, he backed legislation supporting cancer research, including paediatric cancer research. He is currently supporting his sister through treatment for Stage 2 breast cancer. He wants to restore federal funding for cancer research and ensure patients can access affordable treatment.

Drawing on his experience as a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player, Turek has also focused on disability rights. He wrote and passed Iowa legislation, making it easier for people covered by Medicaid to repair wheelchairs and mobility devices. He called for ending federal exemptions that allow certain employers to pay workers with disabilities below the minimum wage. In addition to that, he pledged to protect the Americans with Disabilities Act.

His campaign also focuses on education as Turek advocated for increased funding for public schools and repealing school voucher programs so that public tax money can stay within the school districts. Turek has made supporting farmers and rural communities another campaign priority. Calling the Iowa farmers "best in the world", he advocates mandatory country-of-origin labeling and strong measures to curb monopolies in agribusiness and meatpacking.

Positions on border security, trade and labor

Turek has called for bipartisan reforms that strengthen border security while making the path to citizenship simpler. He believes the US can enforce its immigration laws and secure its borders while also providing a path to citizenship. He has also advocated deporting people who enter the country illegally and commit crimes, preventing fentanyl from crossing the border and ensuring greater accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.

Moreover, Turek has advocated raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. He backs stronger workers' rights to form unions and negotiate better wages and benefits. He has proposed investing in job training programs and apprenticeships to help people develop skills and find employment without a college degree.

Trade and tariffs are another area of focus for Turek's campaign. He actively criticized the Trump administration's policies, arguing that they have heavily affected Iowa farmers. He went on to criticize Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson for supporting these policies. Turek has called for a level playing field for farmers, saying they need fair opportunities to compete and sell their products in international markets.

Iran conflict and AI regulation

Turek has called for an end to the US war with Iran and a return to diplomacy. He has criticized Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson over her stance on the war, arguing that the conflict has contributed to rising gas and diesel prices that are affecting Iowa residents and farmers. In an October 2026 post on X, he accused Hinson of voting seven times to continue the war, which has led to financial pressure on Iowa households and the agriculture sector. He went on to criticize her for seeking gas money from Iowans who are already under financial strain. Highlighting that his disability is a direct result of his father's exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, he calls himself "an example of generational consequences to these forever wars", urging that the US needs to end this conflict.

Key controversies

Turek's attendance record became a major point of controversy during his 2026 Senate campaign. His opponent Ashley Hinson called him out for missing 261 of 445 floor votes during the 2026 legislative session, which accounts for nearly 58%. His absence rate was the second highest among members of the Iowa House. Hinson criticized him for missing votes on issues affecting farmers and rural communities, including the Iowa Farm Bill. Turek defended his absences by saying he was travelling across all 99 Iowa counties to meet voters and his attendance record in previous years was considerably higher.

During the 2026 Democratic Senate primary, Turek also faced criticism from state Senator Zach Wahls over outside spending in his campaign. Wahls accused him of benefiting from the large sums spent by VoteVets, a political group that supports Democratic candidates. Wahls argued that such spending allowed national political groups to exert too much influence over the primary. However, Turek responded that VoteVets had independently chosen to support him and that his campaign did not coordinate with the group.

Personal wealth and assets

According to a 2025 report by Congress Stock Tracker, Josh Turek had an estimated net worth of $91,000, with assets ranging from $52,000 to $130,000 and no listed liabilities. Overall, Josh Turek's political career reflects his transition from a Paralympic wheelchair basketball champion to an Iowa state representative and Democratic Senate candidate. His campaign has focused on healthcare affordability, workers' wages, clean water and the cost of living. As he seeks a seat in the US Senate, his legislative record and policies remain central to his campaign.