Harkin backs Turek for Senate, praises Iowa values and work ethic

Former Sen. Tom Harkin put his weight behind Josh Turek’s U.S. Senate bid, calling the Council Bluffs Democrat a product of Iowa values, Iowa work ethic and the Iowa “can do” spirit. In a letter published Thursday, May 14, Harkin said Turek has already won election and re-election in a very challenging area for Democrats, a line that sharpens the political meaning of the endorsement well beyond personal praise.

That matters because Turek is not running in a vacuum. He faces state Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville in the Democratic primary on June 2, and the winner will be the party’s standard-bearer in a state where Democrats have not won Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat since 2008. With Donald Trump having carried Iowa by 13 points in 2024, the nomination fight has become a test of which Democrat looks more electable in a tough statewide environment.

Harkin’s backing gives Turek a specific kind of credibility that can resonate with voters beyond his home base. Harkin represented Iowa in the U.S. Senate from 1985 to 2015, winning five statewide elections, and his judgment still carries particular weight among Democrats looking for a candidate who can persuade skeptical independents and keep base voters engaged. For Buena Vista County Democrats, especially in places like Storm Lake, the endorsement signals that party veterans see Turek as more than a symbolic candidate.

Turek’s record gives Harkin’s argument some local muscle. He represents Iowa House District 20 and defeated Republican James Wassell in the 2024 general election, 5,881 votes to 5,320, after first being elected in 2022. That result reinforced the case that Turek can hold a district where Democrats face difficult odds, the same political durability Harkin pointed to in describing him as “good timber” and a “good Iowa Bur Oak.”

Turek’s biography also broadens his appeal in a primary that will turn on turnout, fundraising and crossover credibility. A four-time Paralympian on Team USA, he has won two Paralympic gold medals and one bronze in wheelchair basketball, and he was born with spina bifida. In a race where Democrats are searching for a nominee who can survive the general election map, Harkin’s endorsement frames Turek as a tested local winner with the stamina, and the resume, to make that case across Iowa.