NPR reports that in Iowa—where host Joel Rose said most voters backed Donald Trump in the past three presidential elections—Republicans are locked in competitive contests that could shape control of Congress. The stakes are heightened in the U.S. Senate, where NPR said longtime GOP Sen. Joni Ernst is retiring.
The stakes, as framed by Hinson
On a bus tour stop near Des Moines, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson told supporters the outcome in Iowa could affect Senate control. “They are throwing everything they can here at Iowa. It’s one of the most competitive U.S. Senate seats in the country, and they’re doing that because this is about control of the Senate, right? This could be seat No. 5 in the balance of power,” Hinson said, according to Iowa Public Radio’s Natalie Krebs reporting for NPR’s All Things Considered.
A House race in a dead heat
NPR reported that Hinson—first elected to Iowa’s state House in 2016 and to Congress in 2020—is in a competitive race against Democrat Josh Turek, a state representative and former Paralympian who calls himself a “prairie populist.” Citing recent polling, NPR said the contest is neck and neck and considered a toss-up.
Trump and Iran: positions under pressure
During an Iowa PBS debate this month, Hinson said she backs Trump when it benefits Iowa but would push back when needed: “I’ll be President Trump’s ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him—he knows this ’cause I talk to him regularly—on things that are wrong for our state, and that’s true no matter who’s in the White House,” NPR reported.
NPR also reported that Hinson voted last month against a Democratic-backed resolution limiting Trump’s powers in Iran and days later posted on X calling for “an immediate and successful end to the war in Iran.” On NPR air, Turek accused her of shifting for political reasons: “I think that Representative Hinson maybe ended up looking at some polls and finally decided to change, but it’s easy to send out a tweet. It’s much, much harder to actually step up and do something about it. Iowans are upset. We need an end to this war.”
What Iowa voters told NPR
NPR reported that active Republican voter registrations outnumber Democrats, with no-party voters in between. At Hinson’s event, Kathy Jenkins, a registered Republican, praised Hinson’s support for what NPR called the Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which NPR said eliminated taxes on tips and overtime. “I work in the medical field, so the no tax on tips, no tax on overtime has affected me tremendously,” Jenkins told NPR.
Desi McDonough, a nurse in Ottumwa, told NPR she backs Turek and criticized Hinson’s vote for the same bill, saying it would reduce millions in Medicaid funding to rural communities like hers.
Voting begins
NPR reported that early voting in Iowa started this week.
