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Campaign Almanac: Iowa Treasurer Roby Smith to seek re-election
Also in the almanac, two insulator union groups endorse different candidates in Iowa’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary
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DES MOINES — Roby Smith is running for a second term as Iowa Treasurer, he announced Tuesday.
Smith, a Republican from Davenport, is completing his first, four-year term as state treasurer. A former state legislator and banker, Smith was first elected treasurer in 2022 when he defeated the Democratic incumbent, Mike Fitzgerald, who had been the longest-serving state treasurer in U.S. history.
In a press release announcing his re-election bid, Smith said he is committed to continuing the work of enhancing the financial stability of Iowa’s public funds, improving fiscal transparency and expanding financial literacy.
“Since Iowans elected me in 2022, I’ve worked to ensure our state is putting its best foot forward fiscally and fought to prioritize fiscal responsibility for the state’s investments,” Smith said in the press release. “Even with this, there’s more work to be done, and I’m running for re-election because Iowans deserve a State Treasurer who will continue to prioritize these issues and ensure taxpayers have a steward who works to make families and businesses thrive no matter the ZIP code or county.”
The Iowa Treasurer serves as the state’s banker. The office manages taxes paid to the state, invests the state’s money and administrates savings programs.
There is not yet an officially announced Democratic candidate for Iowa Treasurer.
Western Iowa insulators union endorses Turek
The International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators Local #39, an Omaha-based union that represents roughly 30,000 workers in construction trades, has endorsed Josh Turek in the Democratic primary in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.
Turek, a state legislator from Council Bluffs, is one of four Democrats campaigning for the party’s nomination in Iowa’s open-seat U.S. Senate election. The others are Coralville state legislator Zach Wahls; former chamber of commerce leader Nathan Sage, of Indianola; and former state legislator Bob Krause of Burlington.
“We’re proud to support Josh for U.S. Senate because we know he’ll continue his record of supporting unions,” Insulators Local 39 Business Manager John Hanson said in a press release from the Turek campaign. “He’s been a fighter for the working class during his time in the state legislature and we know he’ll take that same fight to Washington.”
Turek’s campaign said the latest endorsement is among more than 40 others for his campaign.
Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is not seeking re-election next year. Two Republicans — Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and former state legislator Jim Carlin — are campaigning for the party’s nomination.
Eastern Iowa insulators union endorses Wahls
Heat and Frost Insulators Local 81, and Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois union, has endorsed Zach Wahls in the Democratic primary in Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election.
Wahls, a state legislator from Coralville, is one of four Democrats campaigning for the party’s nomination in Iowa’s open-seat U.S. Senate election. The others are Josh Turek, a state legislator from Council Bluffs; former chamber of commerce leader Nathan Sage, of Indianola; and former state legislator Bob Krause of Burlington.
“Zach Wahls fights for working people every single day,” Insulators Local 81 Business Manager Sean Nagle said in a press release from the Wahls campaign. “He’s been a consistent advocate for labor, someone we can count on to protect our right to organize, stand up for safe jobs, and defend fair wages and benefits. Our members are worried about rising costs and shrinking paychecks, and Zach is laser-focused on exactly that — boosting workers’ pay, lowering costs for families, and taking on the corporate special interests that are squeezing our members.”
Wahls’ campaign said this latest endorsement represents the seventh union group to endorse his campaign.
Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is not seeking re-election next year. Two Republicans — Congresswoman Ashley Hinson and former state legislator Jim Carlin — are campaigning for the party’s nomination.
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
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