Democrat Senate candidates tackle rural issues

GREENFIELD - In a gathering on the Adair County Fairgrounds with candidates from across the state of Iowa, Senate candidates Josh Turek and Zach Wahls spoke on issues rural Iowans face every day and how their election to the Senate would bring those issues to the political stage.

Turek and Wahls, both elected to the state legislature in the House and Senate respectively, are going to likely be challenging Republican Ashley Hinson in a U.S. Senate race left wide open by Sen. Joni Ernst’s decision to not seek re-election.

This moment for Iowa was seen by both candidates as a moment for potential change. Alongside an open governor’s race after Gov. Kim Reynolds also chose not to seek re-election, there’s a possibility for Democrats to flip a state that’s been trending red for over a decade.

Through separate conversations with moderator Joey Norris, Turek and Wahls answered questions submitted by attendees, the majority of which focused on rural issues like eminent domain, water quality, conservation and health care.

“I think that it’s really, really important, especially as us, as Democrats in this state, that we get into all of these rural communities in rural counties,” Turek said. “I think that may be one of the mistakes that we have made for the last 10 years and one of the reasons why we’ve seen this state shift more red recently.”

Josh Turek

Turek, the first primarily disabled member of the Iowa legislature, emphasized his ability to challenge red districts. Turek, when first elected in 2022, was able to win his seat in a traditionally Republican district by six votes. In his next election, he won by 6%.

“I really believe, in 2026, is when the pendulum is going to swing and we’re going to see Iowa become blue once again,” Turek said.

Citing his upbringing, Turek said he understands working-class struggles.

“I’m somebody that we went to the Goodwill for our clothes; we shared clothes, went to the free summer lunch programs,” Turek said. “I’m someone, in a deeply personal way, who understands what so many Americans, so many Iowans are going through right now, just struggling to keep a roof above their head and keep food on the table.”

Turek, a former paralympian in wheelchair basketball who has won two gold medals competing for Team USA, also strongly supports proper healthcare as someone who has relied on it since he had his first surgery at one day old. Born with spina bifida, Turek uses a wheelchair.

“In a deeply personal way, I understand the importance of affordable and accessible healthcare, and I believe that healthcare is a right,” Turek said.

Zach Wahls

From a background of activism for LGBTQ+ rights, Wahls said he’s the proud son of his two mothers. His passion for defending the right to marry gave him a taste of the public in 2011 when a clip of him testifying to the Iowa House Judiciary Committee on an amendment that would ban gay marriage in the state when viral.

Wahls, who was elected to the Iowa legislature as a senator in 2017, also introduced himself as an Eagle Scout, and recited the 12 points of Scout Law.

“Every Monday night we would go down to the basement of the first United Methodist Church and put up my hand and promise on my honor to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent,” Wahls said. “And wouldn’t it be nice to have that in the USA?”

Should he rise to the national stage, Wahlz outlined three core themes from his visits with Iowans — lowering the cost of living, cleaning up corruption in Washington D.C. and banning legislators from trading stocks and cryptocurrency. Repeating a common campaign slogan, he compared a shift in power to agriculture.

“We know that rotating the crops is good for our soil and you better believe it is good for our politicians as well,” Wahls said.

Common soil

Although they did not speak together, both candidates agreed on several platform issues. Both lamented the slow progress on the federal farm bill, long overdue.

“We’ve got to pass a damn farm bill, right?” Turek said. “We’re nearly three years overdue on that.”

Wahls said Iowans need new leaders in order for the bill to finally be finished.

“We need a new vision that makes sure that we have a farm bill and a farm economy that actually works for our state instead of our state just working for the big corporations that are calling the shots,” Wahls said.

Turek predicted the state was headed towards a farm crisis, similar to the crisis in the 1980s where land value fell by 60%. Describing the current state of farming as a “dangerous time to be in Iowa,” Turek said legislation at both the state and federal level can provide far more incentives to farmers than what’s currently offered.

“We need to have a lot of carrot, not a whole lot of stick,” Turek said. In the fall or winter, Turek said he’d rather see farmers plant cover crops rather than the fertilizer which creates run-off and is one of the contributors to Iowa’s growing cancer rate.

Lowering the nitrate levels from the Environmental Protection Agency side of things was another goal for Turek, with water quality and agricultural regulation going hand-in-hand.

Wahlz said a part of the state and federal struggles with agricultural regulation comes from companies lobbying against the common interest. Calling the future of the country’s rural farms unsustainable, Wahlz wanted to put the focus back on farming families rather than corporations.

“The reality is that you have decisions being made in D.C. that are designed to benefit Bayer Monsanto, to Dow Dupont, to benefit the companies that are the ones actually profiting from the way our agricultural system works today,” Wahlz said. “But it is not good for Iowa farmers. It is not good for our small towns and it is not good for our rural communities.”

Wahlz also described an ideal farm bill which would change how crop insurance programs function to reward farmers for soil conservation.

“Right now, you have bad incentives that are in place that are incentivizing folks to plant in a way that is not good for soil quality, that is not good for our water quality,” Wahlz said. “And that’s not responsible, right? It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Other candidates

Two additional candidates visited Greenfield during the gathering. Running for state auditor to fill Auditor Rob Sand’s seat was Taylor Wettech. Sand is running for governor this year. Although not on the ballot yet, state treasurer candidate John Norwood also discussed his platform and encouraged attendees for signatures to become the first Democrat candidate challenging for treasurer this year.

During the forum, a remembrance to the Rev. Jesse Jackson was held, with Trent Buckner reading a pair of remembrances from his mother and Jay Howe. Howe had formed an exploratory committee in Greenfield for the 1988 campaign of Jackson.