Iowa: Democrat Josh Turek to face Trump-backed Ashley Hinson in bid to flip red Senate seat

Key Takeaways

• Iowa voters cast their ballots in Tuesday’s heated primaries, setting up for months of fervent campaigning ahead of the November midterms in contests that could determine the balance of power in Congress.
• A red state that the GOP has dominated for the past decade, Democrats believe they can be competitive in three of its four House races, its Senate election, and the contest to replace Kim Reynolds, the retiring Republican governor.
• Here’s who came out ahead in the primary according to results verified by the Associated Press US Senate Josh Turek, the state house representative who benefited from millions of dollars in outside spending and the endorsement of a slew of top Democrats, won the Democratic primary in a race to replace retiring Republican senator Joni Ernst.
• In a proxy battle for which direction the party would take, he defeated Zach Wahls, the state senator who pitched himself to voters as an outsider who would stand up to party elites including Chuck Schumer, the US Senate minority leader whom he blamed for weakening the party.
• The primary between the two men became contentious, as Wahls alleged that his opponent was the favorite of the Democratic establishment, pointing to more than $5m in spending to promote Turek by VoteVets, a Pac that has previously received money from Schumer’s campaign fund.