Senate candidate Josh Turek after a recent campaign ad in which Turek addressed his stance on transgender issues. The feud comes only one week before the midterm elections, with Iowa's Senate race between Turek and Republican U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson considered among the tightest, most competitive battles this cycle.
Both candidates are doubling down on their campaigns for the hotly contested U.S. Senate seat, which could flip the upper chamber where Republicans currently have control. Turek and Hinson have both campaigned on issues such as healthcare and rising costs, but transgender issues have emerged in Turek's campaign messaging as well.
In the ad, Turek addresses his stance on transgender athletes competing in sports and on gender-affirming care. Last week, when President Donald Trump was visiting Iowa to campaign with Hinson, the president accused Turek of voting "to allow schools to turn your children transgender without informing the parents," a statement that sparked boos from the audience. Trump went on to say that Turek voted in favor of "taxpayer-funded transgender mutilization surgeries" and that Turek "wants men in girls' bathrooms." While Trump was not mentioned in the ad, Turek said he opposed transgender athletes competing in women's sports and that taxpayers shouldn't pay for gender-affirming care.
His comments sparked a scathing response from One Iowa Action, a statewide LGBTQ+ group in Iowa. The statement, which was posted to One Iowa Action's Facebook page on Monday, criticized both Republican and Democratic campaigns about their stances on transgender topics and specifically called out Turek in regard to his recent ad. "We unequivocally condemn Josh Turek’s recently released campaign ad and the policy shift it represents," the statement said.
Newsweek reached out to Turek's campaign via email for comment on Tuesday. In the new ad, Turek discusses his stance on transgender issues. "As a kid in a wheelchair, I faced my share of bullying.
That's why I believe that no Iowan should face discrimination. As a Paralympian, I also know it's important to have rules," Turek said. "It's why I oppose males competing in female sports, something that is already illegal in Iowa.
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