Hinson presses Turek on missed votes in second Iowa Senate debate as polls stay close

Attendance becomes a flashpoint

Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson used Tuesday night's televised debate in Des Moines to go after Democrat Josh Turek's voting record in the Iowa House. Answering a question about Iowa's rising cancer rates, Hinson pointed to votes on pediatric cancer research and said, "You have to show up to vote," according to Fox News. ^[1]

Fox News Digital had earlier reported that Turek missed 261 votes in the state legislature from January 12 to May 3, 2026, about 58% of votes in that period. When the moderator asked him about it, Turek said he had campaigned in all 99 counties and held hundreds of in-person town halls, that his attendance topped 90% in his first three years in the legislature, and that Hinson had missed 193 votes in Congress. ^[1]

Hinson's campaign said the 193 figure covers her full time in Congress, while Turek's 261 missed votes came in the 2026 session alone. Communications director Billy Fuerst said Hinson has a 98.8% lifetime voting record and has held 47 in-person town halls since her election. Turek's campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital. ^[1]

Other exchanges

Newsweek reported that when asked whether she would back legislation limiting presidential tariff authority, Hinson said she wanted to review the proposal first. She called border security "the defining issue" of the 2024 election. Turek said he did not believe biological males should compete in female sports. Neither candidate directly answered a question about whether control of the Strait of Hormuz should be left to Iran. ^[2]

Analysts quoted by Newsweek split on the result. University of Iowa political scientist Timothy Hagle said Hinson "did a better job" and predicted the attendance issue would feature in attack ads. Iowa State's Karen Kedrowski said Turek was "well rehearsed and came off well." ^[2]

The two had first debated on October 7 at Iowa PBS studios in Johnston, in a forum moderated by Iowa Press host Kay Henderson. ^[5]

What the polls show

Emerson College Polling and Nexstar Media released a survey on October 9, fielded October 5 and 6 among 650 likely voters, that had Hinson at 47% and Turek at 45%, with Libertarian Thomas Laehn at 2% and 7% undecided. Hinson had polled 50% in Emerson's September survey. The margin of error was 3.8 points. ^[3]

A Fox News poll of 1,008 likely voters, fielded September 24 to 28, had Turek at 49% and Hinson at 47%. It found Hinson's favorable rating at 42% against 50% unfavorable, while Turek stood at 48% favorable and 40% unfavorable. A Suffolk University poll fielded October 1 to 4 had Turek at 48% and Hinson at 44%, while a New York Times/Siena poll fielded September 22 to October 1 had Hinson at 48% and Turek at 47%. ^{[4] [5]}

Newsweek reported that no public polls had been fielded since the first debate when it published its debate analysis. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up, and Inside Elections rates it tilt Republican. ^{[2] [5]}

Background on the race

The seat opened when Republican Sen. Joni Ernst announced in September 2025 that she would not seek a third term. Hinson has represented Iowa's 2nd Congressional District since 2021 and won the June 2 Republican primary with about 74% of the vote. Turek, a two-time Paralympian who has served in the Iowa House since 2023, won the Democratic nomination with about 63% over Zach Wahls. ^[6]

Iowa has not elected a Democrat to the U.S. Senate in nearly two decades, and Donald Trump carried the state by more than 13 points in 2024, Newsweek noted. Election Day is November 3. ^[5]