Josh Turek beat Rep. Ashley Hinson to flip Iowa’s open Senate seat — and his 11:35 p.m. ET call was the one that clinched the Senate majority for Democrats.
Josh Turek won two Paralympic gold medals before he ever won an election. Born with spina bifida, he became one of the best wheelchair basketball players in the world, winning gold with Team USA at Rio in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020, and bronze in London in 2012. He played professionally in Europe and was inducted into the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
Turek, 47, is from Council Bluffs. He was elected to the Iowa House in 2022, becoming the first permanently disabled member of the state legislature. In the legislature he worked on health and disability issues, the subjects he knows from his own life.
On Tuesday he beat Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat Sen. Joni Ernst gave up. He is the first Democrat to win a Senate election in Iowa since 2008. The AP called his race at 11:35 p.m. ET — the call that guaranteed Democrats at least 51 seats and control of the Senate.
Watch how the new majority uses its most personal voice on disability and health policy.
Fast facts
- Age: 47
- Party: Democratic
- Office: U.S. Senator
- State: Iowa
- Previous job: Iowa state representative
- Called by AP: 11:35 p.m. ET, Nov. 3, 2026
Part of the Zark News Election 2026 winners profile series. Winners are listed as called by the Associated Press.
