Iowa Democrats stage a rural comeback with Sand and Turek

Driving the news: Turek, a Council Bluffs state representative and Paralympian, defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls in a hard-fought primary, the AP projected late Tuesday.

• In November, he'll challenge Rep. Ashley Hinson, who defeated former state Sen. Jim Carlin in Tuesday's GOP primary, to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.
• Sand has made rural outreach central to his pitch, leaning on his rural upbringing and moderate appeal and casting himself as a Democrat who can talk to voters well beyond Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City.

Reality check: The voter-registration math is still tough for Democrats.

• From May 2025 to May 2026, Iowa Democrats fell from 503,120 to 496,219 active voters, while Republicans dipped from 693,475 to 692,089.
• No Party voters grew from 546,835 to 588,500.

The big picture: Turek's win appears to have made the race more competitive — Cook Political Report shifted Iowa's U.S. Senate race from Likely Republican to Lean Republican after the primary.