Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21
Hinson Targets Turek Over 58% Missed Votes as Iowa Senate Poll Shows 46%-50% Race
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Hinson Targets Turek Over 58% Missed Votes as Iowa Senate Poll Shows 46%-50% Race

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Summary

  • Josh Turek missed 261 Iowa House votes during the 2026 session—58% of the total—while collecting $20,100 in taxpayer-funded per diem payments, giving Ashley Hinson a new line of attack in the Senate race.
  • Iowa lawmakers receive a $201 tax-free daily per diem, and Hinson said Turek skipped votes on veterans funding and the Iowa Farm Bill while attending campaign events and fundraisers during his Democratic primary.
  • Turek’s campaign countered that Hinson also missed votes to fundraise and used $50,000 in taxpayer reimbursements for a Washington apartment, pointing to her absence from part of the House defense bill markup.
  • The exchange lands in a tight contest for Joni Ernst’s open seat: a July Fox News poll had Turek ahead 50% to 46%, within the margin of error, while Cook rates the race Lean Republican.

Insights

Are attendance attacks a distraction from more substantive policy debates?
How should a legislator's job performance be measured beyond their voting record?
When does a per diem payment shift from a legitimate expense to unearned pay?