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Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek (D) declined to answer whether he would support Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to lead Democrats in the next Congress as midterms come closer.
In a Wednesday interview with former White House press secretary Jen Psaki on MS NOW, Turek did not answer whether he would support Schumer’s leadership and instead said that he was “not trying to measure the drapes yet.”
He added that if he won the Senate seat in Iowa, he would have some questions for Democratic leadership about current plans to help Iowans and the middle class.
Troy Jackson (D), the former Maine Senate president who is racing to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), said in an interview with The New York Times that he would not support Schumer as the party’s leader in the upper chamber.
Democratic confidence in Turek surged in June after his primary win against Iowa state Sen. Zach Wahls (D) by 26 points. Maeve Coyle, a spokesperson for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told the Hill that his nomination “puts Iowa firmly on the Senate map.”
He is running against Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). Iowa has not had a Democrat win a Senate race since former Sen. Tom Harkin in 2008.
Turek was born with spina bifida and has used a wheelchair since childhood. Later in life, he was on the U.S. men’s national wheelchair basketball team and won two Paralympic gold medals.
A Fox News poll released in early July found that 50 percent of 1,003 registered voters in the state backed Turek, who has been a member of the Iowa state House since 2023.
Former President Obama endorsed Turek Wednesday in a video showing the pair playing basketball together. This marked the second Senate race Obama has weighed in on after campaigning with Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the Democratic nominee in the Lone Star State.
Turek told Psaki the issues he cares about in his campaign include private equity in housing and healthcare, campaign finance laws, and members of Congress owning and trading stock.
Add as preferred source on Google Tags Ashley Hinson Barack Obama Chuck Schumer Jen Psaki Joni Ernst Tom Harkin Troy JacksonCopyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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