Ashley Hinson says she’ll work with both
parties. Josh Turek says he already has. Watch their commercials back to back
and you’d think they could carpool to Washington.
Then
the attack ads start. So much for that.
They’re
running for the U.S. Senate seat Joni Ernst is leaving. Hinson’s a Republican
in Congress, representing Iowa’s 2nd District. Turek is a Democrat in the Iowa
House, representing District 20.
Both
have jobs where they vote on things that affect us. So we don’t have to guess
what they might do. We can look at what they’ve done.
That’s
where the commercials get a little less comfortable.
Hinson
used to report and anchor the news at KCRG in Cedar Rapids. She studied
broadcast journalism at USC, joined the Iowa House in 2017, and went to
Congress in 2021. She’s had plenty of practice talking to a camera.
She
also plays the violin. A profile described her playing it on the air on her
last day at KCRG. Most of us leave a job with a sheet cake and a reminder to
turn in our keys. She got a musical send-off.
Running for Congress wasn’t all that glamorous. She told an interviewer her minivan carried yard signs and served as a makeshift office. Between stops, they’d put the seats down and work on their computers in the back.
There’s
a campaign scene you can picture. Signs, computers, people trying to get the
next thing done. But eventually you’ve got to get past the story and look at
the votes.
Her
September commercial, “Squeezed,” talks about rising prices, drug companies,
and health insurers. She calls herself a “bipartisan fighter,” meaning she’ll
work with Democrats, too. Sounds good. Anybody who’s argued with an insurance
company would welcome some help.
And
it’s not all talk. She’s done some work on it. In August, she introduced a bill
to make insurers share more information about why they deny coverage. If
they’re turning people down, patients ought to know what’s going on.
But
introducing a bill doesn’t make it a law. And making an insurer explain itself
doesn’t make your medicine cheaper.
Still,
try telling a parent who can’t find affordable daycare that there’s a bill in
the works. They need somewhere to take their kid Monday morning. What passes,
and what help actually reaches them?
Now
put her healthcare commercial beside her vote for the big federal
tax-and-spending bill in July 2025. She voted yes. It changed taxes, tightened
Medicaid rules, and called for less federal Medicaid spending than previously
planned.
Republicans
say they’re going after waste and strengthening work requirements. They also
point to money the law sets aside for rural healthcare. Critics say people will
lose coverage, and hospitals and clinics will have a harder time getting paid.
That’s
a hell of a disagreement. Hinson can explain why she thinks her vote helps
Iowa. But if she’s promising to make healthcare more affordable, that vote
belongs in the conversation.
Then
there’s Josh Turek. He grew up in Council Bluffs, was born with spina bifida,
and uses a wheelchair. He played professional wheelchair basketball in Europe
and competed in four Paralympic Games for the United States.
Two
gold medals and a bronze. That’s a little more than having “team player” on
your resume.
He’s
worked with mobility equipment and volunteered with the Ryan Martin Foundation,
which runs adaptive basketball programs. He joined the Iowa House in 2023. When
he talks about wheelchairs and healthcare, he’s talking about things he’s lived
with.
His
ads talk about growing up working class and getting things done with
Republicans. The ad called “Prove It” points to over 700 votes with
Republicans. It says he’ll work with anyone, including Trump, on corruption and
border security.
Okay.
Seven hundred votes on what?
KCRG
checked and found the number believable. But it also pointed out that plenty of
bills pass with support from both parties. Voting together doesn’t always mean
somebody took an enormous risk or picked a fight with their own side.
His
work on wheelchair repairs is worth a look, too. KMTV told the story of Owen
Hansen, a young Council Bluffs man who was paralyzed in a snowboarding
accident. Repairs to his wheelchair could take weeks.
His
caregiver said trouble with the seat cushion and the repair runaround had
contributed to a pressure sore. Hansen talked about being stuck at home. A
broken wheelchair can mean you can’t get out of the house, and the wait can
hurt your health.
Under
the old Medicaid rules, getting a repair could mean an in-person doctor visit,
another prescription, and approval from the insurer. Your wheelchair’s broken.
Now you’ve got to figure out how to get to the doctor so you can get the damn
thing fixed.
Turek
pushed a bill to get rid of some of that hassle. The bill didn’t become law.
But Iowa’s health department dropped the prescription and in-person visit
requirements in July 2024.
Turek
credited lawmakers and disability advocates for drawing attention to the
problem. Insurance approval was still required. It wasn’t everything people
wanted, but it meant fewer hoops to jump through.
Then
we get to his missed votes. PolitiFact found he missed 261 of 445 Iowa House
floor votes in the 2026 session. About 58 percent. Hinson’s attack on that
number was accurate.
His
attendance was much better in earlier years, and floor votes aren’t everything
a legislator does. But come on. If you want voters to give you a bigger job,
they’re going to ask why you missed so many votes at the one you’ve got.
Hinson
doesn’t get a free pass on her ads, either. PolitiFact found her claim that
Turek supported “sex changes for kids” was false. The education bill she
pointed to included rules about notifying parents over names and pronouns. It
didn’t authorize medical treatment.
One
attack checked out. Another didn’t. You’ve got to check each claim, even when
it comes from somebody you like.
Hinson
has experience in Congress and examples of working with Democrats. She also has
votes to answer for. Turek has work on disability issues and votes with
Republicans. He’s got an attendance problem to explain, too.
They
both say they’ll fight for Iowa. Fine. Tell us what you got done, where you
fell short, and why you voted the way you did.
We’ve seen the commercial. What else have
you got?
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