Turek, Hinson advance to midterms after Iowa Senate primary election wins

Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek has won the Democratic nomination for his state’s open U.S.

Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek has won the Democratic nomination for his state’s open U.S. Senate seat, NBC News projects, advancing from a combative primary to a potentially competitive general election in a state that has favored Republicans in recent elections.

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Turek, 47, defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls and will face Rep. Ashley Hinson, who won Tuesday’s GOP primary with President Donald Trump’s endorsement, in the general election.

A former Paralympic gold medalist in basketball, Turek is backed by former Sen. Tom Harkin, whose “prairie populism” was a staple of Iowa politics until his retirement in 2014. In his victory speech Tuesday night, he reached out to Wahls’ supporters.