Nathan Sage doesn’t hold back criticism while campaigning with Josh Turek in Mason City

Nathan Sage, the Democrat and Mason City native who suspended his campaign for U.S. Senate on Sunday, was in his hometown Monday night to endorse state Rep. Josh Turek.

The erstwhile candidate from Indianola didn't mince words during an appearance that featured harsh criticism of Turek's opponent in the Democratic primary, Zach Wahls, a state senator from Coralville, and some criticism of Turek as well.

Turek, of Council Bluffs, and state Rep. Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque running for northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat, were on a campaign stop in Mason City. Voters at Mason City's Public Library heard Sage endorse Turek. But Sage's endorsement came with a number of bitter criticisms.

On Wahls, Sage said, "I read people very, very well. I'm very good at understanding when people are actually sincere, when they're fake, when they are lying to me, and when they don't give a s**t. I'll just be blunt honest with you: Zach Wahls does not give a s**t."

Of Turek, Sage said, "We talked for two hours. It's a long time because I knew that there's things about Josh that I didn't really like. There's things about his vote record. Things out there that I just was not happy with, and I wanted to go hear from the horse's mouth."

In the end, Sage endorsed Turek, saying, "He struggled in his life to get to where he is. Most of us in this room have struggled, and I truly believe the only way you can ever get anywhere is people need to know what that is like when you don't have food on your table, what it's like when you can't put gas in your car, when you're standing at the register and you're hoping that it says, accept it. That's the world for a lot of people in this room."

Of Sage's commentary, Turek replied, "He was resonating with people, and he was resonating with blue-collar folks, and honestly that's what I love the most about him. In politics, being in this role, working in the Legislature, you see a lot of people that aren't real, they're not genuine, they're not authentic. He's very authentic, very passionate. And he comes from the same place as me. He comes from Mason City. Comes from poor background. I came from economic struggle."

"When it comes down to it, this is about electability. We have to be able to win. And I'm the only candidate in this race between myself and Wahls that has ever even run against a Republican, and I'm winning in the reddest district that was won on Election Day. And I think that that's resonating with people," he said.

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Turek, a Paralympian who was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, focused his message on the fight for equality for all Americans.

"I'm deeply passionate about affordable housing. You cannot have the American dream without affordable housing and affordable and accessible health care," Turek said. "I am someone that believes that health care is a human right. If I'm able to get to the United States Senate, I will be fighting for a public option so that every single American has access to quality, affordable health care, and with health care that also means women's health care and that means women's reproductive freedom."

"I am the Democrat that represents the reddest district that was won on Election Day from one of the two communities that I represent. And I was able to win my district by being the right candidate with the right message and the right work ethic. We can win, and in 2026 the pendulum is going to swing and we are going to make Iowa blue again," Turek said.

Lindsay James touts skills as chaplain

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James touted her skills as a chaplain as well as an Iowa representative.

"I take my skill set as a chaplain, bringing people together across all kinds of differences, doing what's good and right for communities, and I thought, you know, could that skill set translate into the Iowa Legislature and beyond?"

Both Turek and James are focused on improving health care in rural communities.

"A neighbor of mine lost services when Medicaid was privatized. You remember that was back in 2019, and when that happened, he really lost vital services. And so I shared that story of his on the floor of the House," James said.

She went on to describe her amazement that lobbyists were given such deference in the Legislature, noting that the lobbyist who originally addressed the issue with her was incensed that she would name the company who harmed her neighbor in the Iowa legislative record.

"I don't care what the norms of the Iowa Legislature are," James said she told the lobbyist. "I care that my neighbor gets the health care that he needs and deserves."

Turek is running to replace U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, who is retiring. James is running to replace Ashley Hinson, who is running to fill Ernst's seat.

The primary election is June 2, and the general election is Nov. 3.