Campaign Almanac: Former AG Tom Miller endorses Josh Turek in Iowa’s Democratic Senate primary

DES MOINES — Tom Miller, the longest-serving state attorney general in U.S. history, is endorsing Council Bluffs state legislator Josh Turek in Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, Turek’s campaign announced Monday.

Miller was Iowa’s attorney general from 1979 to 2022 except for one four-year period, when he left the office to run unsuccessfully for governor.

Turek, a former Paralympic athlete, is one of five Democrats seeking the party’s nomination in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.

“Josh has overcome a lot in his life. That’s why he has a strong commitment to making sure doors are open for every single Iowan,” Miller said in a video published Monday by the Turek campaign. “He has a work ethic we can all admire. … And you know what? He can win.”

Miller’s endorsement comes after more than 20 current and former Iowa elected officials endorsed Turek last week.

Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election is an open-seat campaign because Republican incumbent Joni Ernst announced last week that she will not seek re-election to a third, six-year term.

Eastern Iowa U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson announced her intention to run for the Senate immediately after Ernst’s revelation. Former state lawmaker Jim Carlin of Sioux City was already running in the Republican primary.

Other Democrats seeking the party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate seat are state legislator Zach Wahls of Coralville, Des Moines school board leader Jackie Norris, former Chamber of Commerce leader Nathan Sage of Indianola, and former state legislator Bob Krause of Fairfield.

Republican state legislators endorse Jim Carlin

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Three Iowa state lawmakers have endorsed Republican Jim Carlin’s campaign for the U.S. Senate, the Carlin campaign announced recently.

Sens. Kevin Alons and Doug Campbell, and Iowa Rep. Samantha Fett endorsed Carlin, his campaign said.

Carlin and Eastern Iowa U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson are seeking the party’s nomination in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election. Carlin was already running to challenge Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst before she announced that she will not seek re-election.

“I’ve known Jim and (his wife) Donna for a long time. He’s grounded in the Constitution. He’s grounded in his walk with Christ,” Alons said in a Carlin campaign press release. “His faith, I think, drives his convictions, (it) will drive him and it gives him that grounding that will make sure that when those challenges come and the questions come and you don’t know for sure what the right answer is, I know he’ll find the right answer.”

Iowa’s primary election is June 2, 2026, and the general election is Nov. 3, 2026.

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