Ashley Hinson<\/a> is running for the GOP nomination, and a Republican-aligned political group has already pledged $29 million to defend the seat.<\/p>\nTurek and Wahls say the differences between them are clear, but voters still weighing their options disagree. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey both have strong legislative records. They both have compelling stories. I think they both share my values,\u201d Lazere said Thursday outside of the Ames public library, where Story County Democrats had just held their monthly meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince they\u2019re so close, I just want the candidate who is more likely to have a chance,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an uphill battle, probably, in Iowa still.\u201d <\/p>\n
At the Des Moines Farmers’ Market last weekend, where both candidates waded through the crowds, Sundie Ruppert shouted her support for Turek as he passed by her tent, saying he had her vote.<\/p>\n
Ruppert called the race an \u201cembarrassment of riches,\u201d something that\u2019s been rare as of late. She said the two stand for \u201cvirtually everything the same,\u201d so for her, it\u2019s a matter of who can win the crossover support to get over the finish line in November.<\/p>\n
Turek, a four-time wheelchair basketball Paralympian born with spina bifida, says his story of overcoming adversity and his politics appeal to independent and moderate Republican voters. He represents a state House district that supported President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n
Turek said he\u2019s laser-focused on securing a livable wage, health care access and drinkable water, not the culture-war issues that he said Republicans use to distract voters from the core problems they are facing. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not gonna get dragged down the rabbit hole of worrying about these distraction issues,\u201d Turek said in an interview.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that if we are going to win again in a state like Iowa, it is going be a message of economic populism,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is going to be that we as a Democratic Party stand for the workers and for the middle class. That\u2019s the way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ruppert said she thinks general election voters are more likely to vote for Turek, even if they \u201chave to hold their nose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got to get the independents,\u201d she said. \u201cI do believe that Josh in a red district has better pull than Wahls.\u201d<\/p>\n
About 37 miles (60 kilometers) north in Ames on Thursday, Shellie Orngard said she\u2019s heard that logic and doesn\u2019t buy it.<\/p>\n
Orngard said both are good people and strong candidates, but Wahls strikes her as \u201csomebody with real character behind his convictions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that whether you\u2019re Democrat or Republican or independent, you appreciate authenticity and real values,\u201d Orngard said. \u201cI think Zach Wahls just seems to have the character that I feel he\u2019s the person that I want to put my vote behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wahls says he’s the candidate willing to defy leadership in both parties, and he has criticized Turek for not rejecting Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer as caucus leader. <\/p>\n
He says his anti-establishment message is winning back the working-class voters, especially common across eastern Iowa, who supported Obama before they pivoted to Trump. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not just talking about building a coalition that can win in November, we are already doing it,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are voters who are not hardcore MAGA Trump Republicans. A lot of them are just really frustrated with both parties, they don\u2019t trust Washington, they don\u2019t trust the establishment.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what we hear from people all the time is, \u2018Even if we don\u2019t agree on every issue, if you are willing to take them on, you\u2019ve got my vote,\u2019\u201d Wahls said.<\/p>\n
Iowa has shifted considerably since Obama\u2019s win in 2012, voting for Trump in the last three presidential elections. Democrats lag Republicans by roughly 200,000 registered voters statewide. <\/p>\n
Rob Sand, state auditor and candidate for governor, was the only Democrat to win statewide in 2022.<\/p>\n
Nearly 30,000 Democrats have already cast their ballots as of Friday, according to data from the secretary of state’s office. Still, in Ellston on Wednesday, many of the two dozen southwest Iowa Democrats waiting to hear from Turek said they\u2019d rely on a gut feeling.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I\u2019m concerned, Ashley Hinson has got to be beat,\u201d said Lynne Wallace, a 67-year-old from Mount Ayr. The staunch Democrat said she\u2019d support either candidate in the general election, already eager to make calls and knock on doors, but added that she’s got \u201cshaky faith\u201d that either Democrat can pull it off.<\/p>\n
Lois Rose, 77, and her 79-year-old husband, John, said at the Des Moines farmers’ market that they might not vote in the primary at all since they, so far, hadn’t been able to make up their minds on whether one candidate is stronger than the other. <\/p>\n
She suggested the pair could also coordinate their votes, each casting a ballot for one of the two. John liked the idea.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re both so qualified,\u201d said Lois Rose of West Des Moines. \u201cThey\u2019re both very genuine, hence the difficulty.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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