Term limits, capping drug costs, barring congressional stock trading among policy pitches from Iowa Democrat Josh Turek

Closing tax loopholes for billionaires and large businesses, capping costs on prescription drugs and insulin, banning members of Congress from trading stock, and ending the Trump administration’s tariffs are among the policy proposals announced Friday by Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Josh Turek.

Turek, of Council Bluffs, unveiled the policies Friday on his campaign website and at a campaign event held outside the Cedar Rapids office of Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, the presumed Republican nominee in Iowa’s U.S. Senate election this year.

“This is what we’ve been talking about for the last six months,” Turkey said in an interview with The Gazette’s Des Moines Bureau. “I’m a common sense, prairie populist and this is a real populist platform that’s pushing for change here in Iowa.

“This is absolutely laser-focused on the middle class, on affordability, on the kitchen table issues … these are the issues that are resonating with all 3.2 million Iowans all across the state.”

Turek, a state legislator and former Paralympian from Council Bluffs, is one of two Democrats campaigning for his party’s nomination. The other is Zach Wahls, a state legislator from Coralville.

Hinson, of Marion, is expected to earn the Republican nomination in the primary that also includes Sioux City lawyer and former state legislator Jim Carlin.

Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate election does not feature an incumbent after Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced last year she would not seek a third, six-year term in office.

Prominent national political forecasters Sabato’s Crystal Ball, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections all project the general election outcome is “likely Republican” for the Senate seat.

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

What is in Josh Turek’s policy proposals?

Turek unveiled policy positions on affordability, health care, limiting the influence of money on politics and Congress, agriculture, basic rights, education, water quality, immigration, the military and veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

On affordability, Turek proposing cutting taxes for middle class families while closing “loopholes” for billionaires and large businesses, and banning price gouging on food.

Turek cited 1950s-era tax rates “when America was at the peak of its powers” and “where the highest earners were actually paying a significant amount.”

“What we have right now is we have a taxation system that is benefiting billionaires and large corporations. We’ve seen an erosion of tax rates for these individuals,” Turek said. “Now what they’re doing is they’re borrowing money against their assets. They’re not paying anything on them so they’re not paying any taxes. They’re not paying anywhere near what the average middle class or average worker is paying.”

On health care, Turek proposes capping insulin costs at $25 per month and capping costs on prescription drugs, regulating pharmacy benefits managers — health care companies that function as intermediaries between insurance providers and drug manufacturers — as ways of reducing prescription drug costs.

He favors restoring federal Medicaid spending that was reduced by congressional Republicans last year and expanding federal health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Turek also proposes banning members of Congress from trading stock, banning corporate political action committee money in elections, increasing transparency in federal campaign donation reporting, and establishing term limits for members of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Right now, what we’re seeing is a system where you have lifelong, career politicians, and they ultimately, because of the lack of campaign finance reform, are up there just to make themselves more wealthy,” Turek said, asserting that Hinson has increased her wealth four times since being elected to Congress in 2020.

“I think one of the best ways that we can address that — let’s call that overall corruption in (Washington) D.C. — is by putting term limits in place. …

“We need individuals to go up there, work hard for Iowa and Iowans and the middle class and the people, and not just tying their hands to working for the special interest groups and the donors.”

Hinson in 2021 said she and her husband would sell stocks that were not part of widely used mutual funds and exchange-traded funds for their retirement, and her office later that year said the couple had sold all their individual stocks.

Hinson also is among 91 Republican sponsors of federal legislation designed to restrict stock trading by members of Congress — legislation that President Donald Trump endorsed in his State of the Union address this week — although advocacy groups like Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the Campaign Legal Center say the bill falls well short of effectively limiting congressional stock trading.

What Iowa’s other U.S. Senate candidates say

  Buy Photo

Many of Turek’s policy positions are similar to those of Wahls. The policies, which have been posted on his campaign website, reveal little policy daylight between the two Democratic primary candidates.

Wahls also has proposed addressing high costs by breaking up industry monopolies, banning members of Congress from trading stocks, setting congressional term limits, implementing campaign finance reform, reducing prescription drug costs, stopping Medicaid spending reductions, strengthening the Affordable Care Act and ending tariffs.

Responses

In a Friday statement to The Gazette, Andrew Suchorski, senior campaign adviser for Wahls, referenced the policy similarities and recent internal polling from the Wahls campaign that showed Wahls polling ahead of Turek in the Democratic primary.

“After seeing that he’s trailing in the primary, it’s exciting to see Josh Turek endorse all of Zach Wahls’ plans for lowering costs and ending corruption,” Suchorski said.

Hinson’s campaign, in a Friday statement to The Gazette, also cited recent internal polling — in their case, from U.S. Senate Republicans’ campaign arm, that also showed Wahls ahead of Turek.

“Who is this the guy with no money who is losing by 20 points in the most recent primary poll?” Hinson campaign spokeswoman Addie Lavis said. “As for Ashley, she’s helping lead the effort to ban stock trades by members of Congress and will continue to be transparent and accessible to Iowans.”

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com

Get the latest Iowa politics and government coverage each morning in the On Iowa Politics newsletter.