Josh Turek (D) defeated Ashley Hinson (R) and Thomas Laehn (L) in the general election for U.S. Senate in Iowa on November 3, 2026.

Incumbent Joni Ernst (R), first elected in 2014, did not run for re-election. Ernst endorsed Hinson on January 10, 2026.

The Iowa Capital Dispatch's Robin Opsahl wrote, "Republicans have seen a stretch of victories in Iowa in recent election cycles — currently, Iowa has an all-Republican delegation in Washington D.C., and Republicans hold a trifecta of control at the Statehouse. Though political forecasters like Cook Political Report rate Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat as 'leans Republican,' Democrats believe Turek — alongside other Democratic candidates on the ballot — will shift the political tides in Iowa."

Ernst won 51.7%–45.2% in 2020. In 2022, Chuck Grassley (R) won re-election to Iowa's other U.S. Senate seat 56.0%–43.8% and Kim Reynolds (R) won re-election as governor 58.0%–39.5%. President Donald Trump (R) defeated Kamala Harris (D) 55.7%–42.5% in Iowa in 2024. As of the 2026 election, the last Democrat to win a statewide election in Iowa was Auditor Rob Sand (D) in 2022.

Turek was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022. He was a former professional basketball player and Paralympic medalist. Turek's campaign website said, "Running in a seat that Donald Trump had already won twice, Josh pushed his chair up hills and crawled up stairs to talk to Iowans of all political stripes, eventually winning by six votes. He was re-elected by a five point margin at the same time Trump was winning the seat by eight points, not only because of his work ethic but because he's developed a reputation as a common-sense, bipartisan legislator."

Hinson was elected to the U.S. House in 2020. She represented the 67th District in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2017 to 2021 and was a reporter with Cedar Rapids-based television station KCRG-TV. Hinson's campaign website said, "She is working alongside President Trump to secure our borders, cut wasteful spending, and put our country back on the path to prosperity. In Congress, she continues to be a commonsense leader and pursue pro-growth policies. She has introduced and supported bipartisan legislation to improve child care access for working families in Iowa, root out corruption in Washington through federal lobbying bans, and create opportunities for workers in the community."

As of November 2, 2026, Turek had raised $24.3 million and Hinson had raised $14.1 million.

The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. Senate in the 120th Congress. Thirty-three of the 100 U.S. Senate seats were up for election, and another two seats were up for special election. Democrats held 13 of the seats up for election, and Republicans held 22.

At the time of the election, Republicans had a 53-45 majority in the chamber.