Josh Turek emphasizes bipartisan record in Council Bluffs campaign stop
U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek returned to his hometown of Council Bluffs on Monday, using a campaign appearance to highlight his record of working with Republicans.
Turek, a Democrat who has represented Carter Lake and portions of Council Bluffs in the Iowa House since 2023, argued that Iowans are looking for candidates willing to work across party lines.
Turek said his decision to enter politics was driven in part by what he saw while working with Iowans navigating the state’s privatized Medicaid system.
“I first ran to represent my hometown of Council Bluffs and Carter Lake because of what we were seeing with the privatization of Medicaid,” Turek said. “We were seeing a 1,000% increase in the denial rate for literally the most vulnerable in society, and all Iowans deserve to have basic health care.”
Missy Murphy of Council Bluffs introduces Senate candidate Josh Turek at Barley's Bar and Grill on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.
Missy Murphy, a Council Bluffs resident who spoke before Turek, described her experience helping a local resident recover from a catastrophic accident and navigate Medicaid waiver programs.
Murphy, who the campaign said was a "longtime Republican who re-registered as a Democrat" top support Turek in the primary, said she has seen services denied despite efforts involving medical providers and community advocates.
“The resources are there for people with this level of need,” Murphy said. “It’s just not being managed well, and it needs the right attention that Josh will give.”
Turek said his campaign for the Iowa House began in a district where Republicans had a significant advantage, but he believed he could win by speaking directly with voters regardless of their political affiliation.
“When I decided to run, they said, ‘Josh, you can’t win out here as a Democrat. It’s too red,’” Turek said. “I said, ‘I’m going to attack this the same way that I’ve won gold medals. I’m going to outwork my opponent.’”
He said he knocked on the doors of Republican and independent voters as well as those of Democrats, including carrying his wheelchair upstairs to reach some voters — a visual he replicated the day before the Democratic primary canvassing in Council Bluffs.
As U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Josh Turek goes door-to-door, he climbs porch steps to have conversations with people at their front doors, as he is shown doing Monday, June 1, 2026.
On Monday, Turek pointed to his legislative record as evidence that the approach can work beyond a campaign.
“I’m very proud to be one of the most effective and one of the most bipartisan members because that’s what people deserve — representatives who care and who are going to go to work in a bipartisan fashion to provide solutions to people’s problems,” Turek said. “I’ve worked across the aisle more than 700 times, voted with Republicans to cut taxes, to lower costs, to keep our community safe, and that’s exactly what I will do in the United States Senate.”
Turek is running against Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson for the open Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak.
He criticized Hinson over her voting record and personal finances, saying Iowans are paying the price for what he described as corruption in Washington.
“I’m running to take on the corruption that we’re seeing of both parties,” Turek said. “Iowans across the state and across the political spectrum are paying the cost of that corruption.”
Ashley Hinson brings Senate campaign, criticism of Josh Turek to Council Bluffs
'Republicans for Turek' launch takes a back seat
Monday's event had been billed as the launch of “Republicans for Turek,” a coalition of Iowa Republicans supporting his Senate campaign.
Turek did not spend much of his speech, however, on the coalition itself. He instead focused on his broader argument that Republicans, independents and Democrats should be willing to support candidates based on their record rather than party.
When asked after the event what the coalition would look like in practice, Turek said it would involve Republicans supporting his campaign as he visits communities across Iowa.
A campaign sign for Josh Turek graces the front door of Barley's Bar and Grill in Council Bluffs on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.
“I really don’t look at this as tribalism,” Turek told The Nonpareil. “I think one of the problems with our system is too many people go into this with this party-over-country mentality.”
He said his experience as a Paralympic athlete shaped his approach to public service, arguing that elected officials should represent everyone rather than only members of their own political party.
“Regardless if this was a Republican idea or a Democratic idea, let’s do what’s best for the people,” Turek told The Nonpareil. “I think that’s what’s missing: people that are willing to work across the aisle, willing to work with anyone.”
In a news release Monday afternoon, Turek's campaign touted he voted with Republicans more than 700 times in the Iowa Legislature, where Republicans controlled both chambers.
Senate candidate Josh Turek stops at Barley’s Bar and Grill in Council Bluffs on Aug. 31, 2026.
Former Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh, a Republican, offered an endorsement of Turek on Monday at the event at Barley's Bar and Grill.
“It's my pleasure to be here today to stand with my friend, Josh Turek, who served nobly in the Iowa House for two terms and really was an asset to the city of Council Bluffs in that role," Walsh said in the campaign release. "Josh always kept his word and is faithful to his community. I know he'll do the same thing representing the state of Iowa.”
Turek said the ultimate goal is to win the Senate seat and use it to represent Iowans regardless of their political affiliation.
“I want to be a senator for all Iowans, regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum,” Turek said. “Republicans, independents, Democrats — I want to represent anyone because we should be voting for the person, not for the party.”
Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek speaks with a voter in Council Bluffs on Monday, Aug. 31, 2026.
Turek also pointed to rising costs as a common concern he has heard during his travels around the state.
“Everywhere we go, it’s the same thing,” Turek told The Nonpareil. “I’m struggling to keep food on the table, a roof over my head, pay my electric bill, and now with this war in Iran, I’m struggling to keep gas in my tank.”
He said farmers have told him that input costs, particularly diesel, are putting additional pressure on their operations.
Turek said he wants to take those concerns to Washington and focus on the middle class and working families.
“I want to go up there, not because I love politics, but because I love policy,” Turek said. “I want to go up there and work together across the aisle to provide solutions to people’s problems here in Iowa and across the country.”
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Former Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh introduces Senate candidate Josh Turek at Barley’s Bar and Grill on Aug. 31, 2026.
