With just days to go before Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, outside spending on behalf of state Rep. Josh Turek has surpassed $10 million — more than what both Democratic candidates combined have spent throughout the entire election cycle.
VoteVets, a Democratic-aligned PAC, has spent $10 million on television and digital advertising and direct mail to support Turek since March 23, according to reports with the Federal Election Commission.
A super PAC called Iowa Action spent $150,000 in digital and television advertising on May 7 to support state Sen. Zach Wahls.
Outside spending has been a point of controversy in the closely watched primary race, with Wahls criticizing the VoteVets spending and Turek pointing to Wahls’ past work with The Next 50, which promotes young Democratic candidates around the country.
In a May 5 “Iowa Press” debate, Turek said Wahls was “the director of a dark money PAC,” referring to The Next 50 PAC. Wahls has called Turek’s attack “categorically false,” saying he was director of The Next 50 Network LLC, not the PAC.
Meanwhile, candidates in Iowa’s June 2 primary faced a final preprimary deadline May 21 to report their own fundraising and spending. The candidates’ reports cover April 1 through May 13.
Those reports show Turek outraising Wahls, bringing in $654,000 to Wahls’ $504,000.
Wahls outspent Turek $858,000 to $685,000. And Turek ended the reporting period with slightly more cash on hand — with $726,000 to Wahls’ $701,000. Both candidates continue to trail Republican frontrunner U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in fundraising.
Turek’s contributions include $5,000 designated for the primary and another $5,000 designated for the general election from Impact, a leadership PAC associated with U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Turek also received a $5,000 contribution from Off the Sidelines, a PAC associated with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Schumer, Gillibrand and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have not formally endorsed Turek.
Wahls has said he will not vote for Schumer as Senate Democratic leader if elected and has called on Turek to do the same.
“I’ve called on Josh Turek to join me in rejecting outside spending in this race and rejecting Chuck Schumer’s leadership. He’s refused,” Wahls said. “If he doesn’t have the courage to take on the failed leaders in our own party, he won’t be able to take on Donald Trump either.”
Turek said May 5 in an “Iowa Press” debate that, “I’m not a D.C. insider. I don’t know these folks. I only have one idea with this. And that is I am not measuring the drapes.”
“Our campaign is grateful to the over 57,000 people who have chipped in an average of $36 to elect Josh because they know that Iowans deserve a U.S. senator who will fight for working-class families, not billionaires and large corporations,” Turek spokesperson Maggie Luddy said in a statement. “That is exactly why we will win this primary in 11 days and defeat Ashley Hinson in November.”
Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, continues to lead both Democrats in fundraising and cash on hand.
She raised $891,000 and spent $1.4 million in the latest reporting period and has just shy of $6 million in cash on hand.
Outside groups have spent $975,000 on Hinson’s behalf since late 2025. That includes spending from Senate Leadership Fund PAC; Americans for Prosperity Action Inc.; Clearpath Action Fund Inc.; and Mission Iowa.
Former state Sen. Jim Carlin, who is competing with Hinson for the Republican nomination, reported raising $164,000 in the latest fundraising period — but $131,000 of that came in the form of a loan Carlin made to his campaign.
Since launching his Senate bid, Carlin has loaned his campaign $325,000, accounting for the majority of the $461,000 he has raised to date. He ended the reporting period with $12,000 in the bank.
Libertarian Thomas Laehn is also running, but Laehn does not need to file a preprimary fundraising report because he will not appear on the primary ballot.
Jim Carlin (R)
US Rep. Ashley Hinson (R)
State Rep. Josh Turek (D)
State Sen. Zach Wahls (D)
Stephen Gruber-Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com, by phone at 515-284-8169 or on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Outside spending for Josh Turek cracks $10 million in Iowa Senate race
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
