Iowa Dem Senate candidate says he's too busy campaigning to attend all state House votes

Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat drew attention to attendance records at a televised debate in Des Moines on Tuesday, Oct. 13, when Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson criticized Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek for skipping a large share of legislative votes earlier this year. Turek answered that he was busy campaigning and challenged Hinson on her own record of public events, according to Fox News.

Hinson raised the matter while answering a question about rising cancer rates in Iowa. She argued that lawmakers must be present to back measures such as pediatric cancer research funding, and said she has worked on legislation to direct resources toward understanding the problem.

Fox News Digital had earlier tallied 261 missed roll calls in the state legislature from Jan. 12, 2026, through May 3, nearly 58% of those held in that stretch. The debate moderator pressed Turek twice to explain. He said he had traveled to all 99 counties and held hundreds of public forums, and noted that Hinson has held no in-person town forum since she entered the Senate race. He also said his attendance topped 90% during his first three years in the legislature.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →