Iowa's GOP Senate Nominee Attacks Her Democratic Rival Over School Pronoun Vote

Iowa Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson says her Democratic opponent, state Rep. Josh Turek, supports letting children change their gender identity at school without their parents being told. The record behind the attack is a 2023 vote in which Turek opposed a state law requiring schools to tell parents.

"And then you add on, allowing kids to change their gender at school and use different pronouns and not tell the parents about it," Hinson said. She added that as Iowans learn more about Turek, "I think they understand he is too liberal for Iowa."

What SF 496 Does and How Josh Turek Voted

The vote Hinson is describing is on Senate File 496, the 2023 Iowa education law. It requires school districts to inform parents when a student asks for "an accommodation that is intended to affirm the student's gender identity," including being called by a different name or pronoun, PolitiFact reported.

The Senate passed the bill 34-16 on March 22, 2023, and it passed the Iowa House 57-38 on April 20, 2023. Turek, an Iowa state representative, voted no. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed it on May 26, 2023.

That makes "not tell the parents" Hinson's description of what Turek's vote means, not something he has said he supports. Supporters of the law say parents have a right to know about any change in how their child is treated at school. Opponents argued it could out transgender students to families who would not accept them. Either way, the notification requirement has been Iowa law for three years, and a U.S. senator would have no vote on it.

PolitiFact Rated an Earlier Hinson Ad False

The line is a milder version of an attack Hinson has made before. A June 2 campaign ad said Turek supports "sex changes for kids" and showed surgeons in an operating room. PolitiFact rated that claim False, finding that SF 496 deals with names, pronouns and parental notice and does not address medical treatment or surgery.

Turek campaign spokesperson Hannah Goss told PolitiFact that Turek "does not support gender-affirming surgeries for minors," pointing to the American Medical Association's position that such surgeries "should generally be reserved until adulthood."

Iowa Senate Polls Show a Dead Heat

The attack comes as the race sits inside the margin of error. Turek leads Hinson 46.6 percent to 45.8 percent in PolitiKool's polling average, a race that helps keep control of the Senate a toss-up.

A New York Times/Siena poll released July 1 found Hinson ahead 48 percent to 46 percent. A Fox News poll taken September 24 to 28 had Turek up 50 percent to 46 percent among registered voters and 49 percent to 47 percent among likely voters.

A Turek win would be one of the clearest signs of the midterm environment, and it would cut directly into the GOP majority that Senator Ted Cruz has warned could shrink to 45 seats.

What To Watch Next

With two weeks left before Election Day, the race is likely to come down to whether the cultural message lands with voters. Hinson is betting that Iowans see Turek's 2023 vote as she does. The open question is whether voters who already have a notification law on the books see the vote as a threat or as an old fight.