Iowa Democrats pick Senate nominee to challenge GOP's Joni Ernst

Iowa Democrats voted Tuesday to settle one of the party's last competitive U.S. Senate primaries, choosing between two state lawmakers who each argue they're best positioned to flip retiring Senator Joni Ernst's seat from Republican control.

The GOP has already settled its primary: U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, endorsed by former President Donald Trump and Republican leaders, secured the Republican nomination after defeating former state Sen. Jim Carlin.

Democrats see opportunity. High prices, lost manufacturing jobs, shuttered healthcare facilities, and a struggling agricultural economy have created an opening, according to party strategists. Leading the Democratic ticket is State Auditor Rob Sand, the sole Democrat currently holding statewide office and the only candidate unopposed in the gubernatorial primary. Sand has been able to sharpen his moderate message and amass an $18 million campaign fund.

Turek is a relative newcomer to elected office: he played professional wheelchair basketball in Europe and competed for the U.S. in four Paralympics, most recently in 2021. He won his state House seat in 2022. Wahls rose to national prominence in 2011 as a 19-year-old defending his two mothers to lawmakers considering a same-sex marriage resolution. He addressed the Democratic National Convention the next year and has served as Senate Democrats' minority leader.

Both candidates align on core Democratic positions — public health insurance option, higher minimum wage, stronger labor bargaining rights. But they campaigned on different visions for winning statewide: Wahls criticized a "coastal playbook" that doesn't work in rural Iowa and has opposed U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer as party leader.

Republicans consider Ernst's seat pivotal to Senate control. The GOP's campaign arm has committed $29 million to support Hinson. Polls closed Tuesday at 8 p.m. local time.