Republican Ashley Hinson wants Iowans to know she’ll pick a fight with President Donald Trump. Democrat Josh Turek wants them to know he’ll work with him.
The rivals in Iowa’s closely contested Senate race each sought to establish their independence in separate interviews aired Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” pitching themselves as willing to put their state ahead of their respective party loyalty.
Asked about her campaign pledge to be Trump’s “strongest ally” in the Senate, Hinson added a condition: “If it’s for Iowa.”
“I will be someone’s ally when they’re with me on the issues that are important to Iowa,” the Republican lawmaker said. “And if they’re wrong, I’m going to pick a fight with them, no matter who that is.”
The conflicting comments come in a state Trump won by 13 points in the 2024 presidential election, but where Democrats now see an opportunity to win their first Senate election since 2008. The president campaigned in Iowa this past week as high fuel costs and frustration with his tariffs complicate Republicans’ efforts to maintain the seat.
Republicans close to Hinson told POLITICO last month that she needed to put some distance between herself and Trump, warning that his tariff agenda and the Iran war were undermining her chances.
On Sunday, Hinson rejected Trump’s positive assessment of the economy. “Well, sure doesn’t feel like it right now,” she said, later criticizing the administration’s dealings with Moscow.
“I don’t think we should be making any deals with Russia,” she said, pointing to her vote for sanctions. Her campaign told POLITICO on Friday that she opposed sanctions relief for Russia while supporting Trump’s use of the Defense Production Act to bolster domestic energy production.
But there were limits to her criticism. While calling for the Iran war to end quickly, Hinson declined to oppose a potential new offensive after the midterms, saying she trusted Trump and the military to determine what needed to be done.
Turek, meanwhile, called himself a “proud moderate” and sidestepped a question about whether Democrats had moved too far left.
“I don’t think a lot about the party as a whole. I think about myself, and I think about Iowa,” the Democratic state representative said.
That pitch follows a primary victory aided by national Democratic support, including from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s leadership PAC — which contributed the maximum to Turek’s campaign, though Schumer did not formally endorse. VoteVets spent more than $10 million advertising on Turek’s behalf. He’s also secured the formal endorsement of former President Barack Obama, who appeared in an ad alongside Turek as the two played basketball.
Asked what Trump had done right, Turek said Trump had done “a better job on the border than Biden, for sure.” He also cited agreement on keeping private equity out of housing and eliminating taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security, while arguing that Trump’s economic policies had concentrated wealth and power.
Also asked whether endorsements mattered, Turek offered a blunt assessment: “Probably not.”
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