Trump Attacks Iowa Democratic Senate Candidate Over Missed Votes
Trump amplifies a report that Iowa Democratic Senate nominee Josh Turek missed nearly 60% of state House votes during the 2026 session while collecting $20,100 in per diem payments.
WASHINGTON D.C. — Donald J. Trump amplified a report attacking the Iowa Democrats’ U.S. Senate nominee over a legislative attendance record that Republicans have turned into a campaign issue.
The post targeted Josh Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs who won the Democratic Senate nomination in June. Voting records show he missed nearly 60% of Iowa House votes during the first months of the 2026 session. Turek was absent for 261 votes held between Jan. 12 and May 3, according to justthenews. He also received $20,100 in legislative per diem payments during the period, according to justthenews.
Here is the full post on truthsocial: “This is big news! Lazy Senators don’t play well in Iowa. President DJT Iowa Democrats’ U.S. Senate candidate has absentee problem, missed nearly 60% of legislative votes: https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/iowa-state-house-democrat-josh-turek-missed-nearly-60-votes-during-2026” on August 10, 2026 at 8:09 AM ET.
This is Trump’s first message released today, and the last post was 12 hours ago, and it is not part of a thread. On average, Trump produces 18 posts per day since his inauguration on January 20, 2025. The move fits a broader pattern in Trump’s recent messaging, with 111 of his 449 posts over the last 30 days classified as Elections posts.
Trump linked to the report by mentioning the source (see justthenews). Some of Turek’s absences occurred while he was campaigning and fundraising outside Iowa, an analysis in the report showed. Between March 25 and March 31, Turek missed 12 House votes while his campaign raised approximately $43,000 from donors in Southern California, according to justthenews. One of the missed votes concerned legislation involving rural health care and medical licensing.
Turek also missed 16 votes between Feb. 17 and March 23 while his campaign raised approximately $36,500 from donors in Washington, D.C., according to justthenews. One of those missed votes involved consideration of an education standards bill. At one point in March, Turek missed 30 consecutive votes, the voting records showed.
President Donald J. Trump speaks at the White House in Washington D.C.
Joyce N. Boghosian / the White House
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The attendance record has become a campaign issue as Turek seeks to succeed retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. He is set to face Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in November, according to justthenews. The race is a battleground contest, and the voting record hands Republicans a line of attack in the campaign’s final stretch.
Turek’s team defended his missed votes and pointed to his opponent’s record. “Just last week, Ashley Hinson skipped votes on the annual defense funding bill to attend a ritzy D.C. fundraiser. Meanwhile, Josh Turek is ranked one of Iowa’s most bipartisan and effective lawmakers and has regularly worked with Republicans to cut taxes for Iowa families and keep dangerous criminals off the streets,” a campaign spokesperson said, according to justthenews.
Hinson’s team responded by citing her own record. “Not only did Josh Turek skip the vote to fund the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs … he also skipped votes on the Iowa Farm Bill, rural health funding, child abuse investigations and, in 2023, gender transition procedures for minors,” a spokesperson for Hinson said, according to justthenews. The spokesperson added that Hinson has a 98.8% lifetime voting record since 2020.
Voters will decide the contest in the November general election. A specific date beyond the November timeline was not detailed in the report.
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