Iowa Senate debate, October 7, 2026

Other

Election day is less than a month away, but Iowans may begin casting ballots one week from today. We'll question two candidates for the U.S. Senate, Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek, in this special live Iowa Press debate. Funding for Iowa Press was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation. The Bob and Doreen Shepard family, proud supporters of educational programming seen only on Iowa PBS. Banking in Iowa goes beyond transactions. Banks work to help people and small businesses succeed. And Iowa banks are committed to building confident banking relationships. Iowa banks, your partner through it all. For decades, Iowa Press has brought you political leaders and newsmakers from across Iowa and beyond. Live from Iowa PBS studios in Johnston, this is a special Iowa Press debate featuring candidates for U.S.

Moderator

Senate. Here is moderator Kay Henderson. When you get your general election ballots in Iowa this year, the race at the top will be for the U.S. Senate. Joni Ernst is not running for reelection. Two candidates who are listed on the ballot are here with us tonight. Let me introduce them. Ashley Henson is a Republican from Marion. She's in her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. And Josh Turek is a Democrat from Council Bluffs. He's in his second term in the Iowa House of Representatives. Candidates, welcome.

Other

Good evening, Kate. Thank you for having us.

Moderator

For the next hour, we will talk about a wide range of issues. There are no time limits, but we have a lot of ground to cover, so we will move the conversation along when appropriate. Joining us at the table, Stephen Gruber-Miller, Capital Bureau Chief for the Des Moines Register, and Erin Murphy, Des Moines Bureau Chief for the Gazette in Cedar Rapids. Thank you, Kay. Candidates, this week President Trump and Governor Reynolds took executive actions to provide temporary relief for soaring diesel fuel prices. Ashley Hinson, you've proposed a diesel relief fund for farmers and truckers. What more does Congress need to do to help? farmers and other folks with soaring diesel prices.

Ashley Hinson

Yeah, well I think it goes beyond diesel but we are going to talk about all those issues tonight so let's get started. Thank you Kay, thank you Erin and thank you Stephen for being here and Josh thank you for coming, Representative Turek, I appreciate you being here as well. Josh. And you talk about farmers and how we can help them. It is about the bottom line and doing whatever we can to reduce energy costs, input costs across the board. So I've proposed a several point energy plan, diesel prices being at the top of mind there. So looking at the gas tax, what can we do to provide immediate relief there while still having a conversation about what the road use tax fund looks like? Because while people are getting squeezed at the pump, we want to make sure that we're also having a conversation about roads and bridges later on and we're not leaving that beside. I think it's also important as we're talking about our agriculture community that we're talking about input costs. So you talk about fertilizer. What can we do to lower the cost of fertilizer? I advocated to the administration to lower the countervailing duties on those inputs coming in from Africa and other countries so that we could provide that relief right away and we're working to focus on domestic production. So those will continue to be my priorities as we work to address the challenges that Iowa farmers are facing.

Moderator

Josh Turek, both you and your opponent here have called for the temporary suspension of federal fuel taxes, Ashley just talked about. To her point, where would you find the money to replace that revenue that is meant for road projects in the state?

Josh Turek

Well, I think in the short term, the real issue is that Iowans are hurting and they're hurting uniquely. Everywhere that I'm going, I'm hearing the exact same thing from Iowans. It's I'm hearing, I'm struggling to keep food on the table. I'm struggling to pay my electric bill. I'm struggling to keep a roof above my head. And now with this war in Iran, I'm struggling just to keep gas in my tank. I came out right away and I said, yes, we need a temporary suspension of the gas tax, that we need to make a ban on exports of diesel. I think that that would provide some immediate relief and also opening up the strategic oil reserves. I can tell you everywhere that I'm going, whether it's from folks in the urban areas talking about gas prices or certainly when I'm out there with farmers and especially at harvest time talking about an all-time high of diesel. This is because of this war in Iran and a war that Ashley Hinson has voted in favor of seven times. It is hurting Iowans and it's hurting Iowans in a unique way and we need to provide some relief to Iowans.

Moderator

And we're going to talk more about that. Yeah, that's right. You mentioned the war. President Trump has said the goal of the war is to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon. Are you concerned about that possibility? And if you're opposing the war, how would you make sure that doesn't happen?

Moderator

Ashley Hinson, you have said that the war should come to an immediate and successful end. How do you define successful and immediate? And why did you vote against a resolution in Congress to call for the war to end?

Moderator

-So why vote against the resolution?

Ashley Hinson

I don't think we need another resolution and I certainly don't want to see the president not be able to do an orderly end to this war. You look at what happened when President Biden did the withdrawal hastily out of Afghanistan and we lost 13 service members including an Iowan at Abbey Gate. We don't need to lose another Iowan. I've sat with the grieving families from here in Iowa who have lost their loved ones. I've been to Dover to welcome those families as they were claiming the remains of their loved ones. So I've sat with them and cried with them and I don't want that to happen to another family.

Moderator

Canada is one of Iowa's largest trading partners. In August, President Trump imposed 50% tariffs on some Canadian products. Ashley Henson, starting with you. What do you say to Iowans who are concerned about eroding that relationship that Iowa has built with Canada?

Ashley Hinson

We absolutely need a great trade relationship with Canada, with Mexico, whoever will open their markets to us. We need more markets and we need more opportunity. What we don't need is an unlevel playing field and Canada should not have walked away from that deal. I've been on the China Select Committee for several years in Washington, D.C., and I think what's important about the work we're doing is we are actually holding bad trade partners accountable when they are breaking the rules and not playing fair china being one of the worst obviously at this but they have been using canadian companies to get steel into the united states cheating and not paying what they should to access our markets so i have a bill that i got passed through the house the protecting american industry and labor legislation that would give the department of justice additional resources to be able to actually go after these bad actors That's what we should be doing. We should be negotiating and getting them to the table to get better deals and more access to markets. And we should be holding the bad actors accountable at the same time.

Moderator

Josh Turek, last week there was a special session at the Iowa Legislature. You joined 74 other members of the Iowa House and supported a package of incentives for a proposed steel mill in southeast Iowa. President Trump and Iowa Republicans say that plant is only possible because of his tariff policies. Do you agree with that?

Josh Turek

No, but I'll tell you what, I was proud to vote in favor of this. I mean, we are a state that is uniquely hurting. We're one of three states seeing our economy contract. We certainly need the jobs. And I think that this plant could honestly be transformative. You're looking at 1,700 Iowa jobs, and I think we need to bring back manufacturing. On top of that, you're looking at 6,000 to 7,000 construction workers. And this is one of those projects that really can transform a region and can transform a state. And so I was proud to be able to vote for this because we need the jobs here in Iowa and we need the manufacturing jobs here.

Moderator

What's your view of the president's approach to tariffs?

Ashley Hinson

May I respond to that really quick? I think it's really important to note that my opponent decided not to show up for work 58% of the time this year on policies that could have helped to support Iowans and Iowa farmers, including the Iowa Farm Bill, and chose to not show up to vote for that bill. I'm showing up in Washington, D.C. to make sure we're advocating for priorities like the Farm Bill, getting that across the finish line to help support our farmers with the safety and security nets that they need. policies like year-round E15, which I was able to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in a bipartisan way to get across the finish line. So I'm showing up every day. I'm also traveling all 99 counties of the state hearing directly from farmers about what they need. That's why I'm advocating on fertilizer policy, not just on duties and tariffs, but on domestic manufacturing. I voted for the Working Families Tax Cut Bill, which made it possible for many of these investments, including this steel mill with 1,700 jobs paying $49 an hour to come to our state. Because we're able to be more competitive and bring those jobs home, we can help support agriculture and we can support domestic manufacturing.

Moderator

Many Iowans are learning about both of you by turning on their television sets. She just mentioned an ad that's running mentioning you missing votes in the Iowa House. To voters who see that and have concerns, what's your answer?

Josh Turek

My answer would be that I'm independently recognized as one of the most bipartisan, as one of the most effective. I've gone up to the Iowa legislature and I have worked for bills to actually help average everyday Iowans. Livable wage, affordable housing, affordable health care, drinkable water, addressing the cancer crisis, functioning public schools. and addressing corruption like campaign finance reform. Now, you take that versus Ashley Henson. She is the least bipartisan member of the Iowa delegation. She's missed 193 votes herself. And when she's been up in D.C., she has voted in favor of cuts to health care in a state with a health care crisis and a cancer crisis, 110,000 Iowans having their health care pulled away, food assistance to poor families, Social Security Administration, just to give tax breaks to billionaires. And additionally, five times in favor of the tariffs that have decimated rural communities and farmers, and seven times voted in favor of this war in Iran, which has led to IOWA.

Other

The broadcast's AI transcript broke down here and repeated one line, so this stretch isn't shown. The video link above plays it.

Ashley Hinson

And the second to worst attendance record didn't show up. I'm proud of my record in voting for providing tax relief to middle class families. The working families tax cut provided for no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, reduced tax on social security for our seniors, tax certainty for our small businesses. You talk about our main streets that need to know that they can make critical investments in hiring new people and growing their businesses. That's what I've supported in Washington, D.C. And I have a proud record of 99 percent of the time this year I showed up on the floor when he was only showing up 42 percent of the time.

Moderator

Speaking of campaign ads, Iowans are seeing a campaign ad about you saying you've gotten wealthier while you're in office. What's your response to Iowans who see that and have concerns?

Moderator

Aaron?

Josh Turek

Can I respond to that quickly? The reality is, is that in just six years of being up in D.C., Ashley Henson is up to 15 times more wealthy, still owns up to $5 million of private stock, even though she said she was going to sell everything. She's taken $50,000 of taxpayer dollars, even though she's a multimillionaire, to give herself a luxury D.C. apartment and has had her husband operating as a shadow lobbyist. This is the corruption that we have to address. This is what I want to go up to D.C. to address. Two things. One, we need to have campaign finance reform because we've got to get the dark money out of politics. I want to sponsor a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United because we can have oligarchy or we can have democracy, but we cannot have both. We've got to get the dark money out of politics. And secondly, I want to go up there and fight for term limits, to ban members of Congress from owning and trading stocks. I don't own any stocks, so no one has to worry about that with me. And also putting in a provision to mandate that members of Congress have to host at least one annual town hall in person. Because someone like Ashley Henson, as she's been running for U.S. Senate, has not had one in-person town hall.

Ashley Hinson

I did 47 town halls during my time in Congress, so you all at this table have covered many of them and understand clearly that I am a transparent and accessible representative. My husband's not a lobbyist. He's an insurance agent. He works in our basement. He's still working at home tonight while he's home with our kids, our teenage boys who are 15 and 13. And I'm glad, Josh, that you brought up the per diem because there is a program for members of Congress. All members can take advantage of it to take a daily per diem. For days we are in session. That's the only day you can actually take it. And I use that. You can use it for a hotel or your apartment. So I think it's important to note that my opponent, who did not show up, to work, still took the full per diem here in Iowa, the same program that exists for lawmakers here. So you took the per diem, you stole from taxpayers, you should refund that money.

Moderator

Erin, let's move on to one big beautiful bill. Yeah, we got a lot we want to get to. We want to ask you both about the 2025 spending and tax policy bill that was known at the time as the one big beautiful bill. Josh Turk, you've said that you believe that that bill should be repealed. Some of the provisions in it are temporary and will expire at the end of 2028. Which of those elements would you vote to maintain, if any, and which would you allow to expire?

Josh Turek

Yeah, certainly when you put together one big beautiful bill, as it's called, you're going to have a handful of things that I actually am in favor of. I've said that and I've been open about it. I agree with President Trump that we need to get private equity out of housing, something I've fought for in all of my time in the Iowa legislature. because the average age of a first-time homebuyer now in this country is 40 years old. I believe that we should have no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. But what we saw with the OBVB is we saw huge cuts to Medicaid and to food assistance just to give tax breaks to billionaires. Here in Iowa, and we are already basically dead last for every single healthcare metrics, OBGYNs, mental health providers, mental health supports, hospital quality. Just since Ashley Henson's gone up to D.C., six years, we have closed 842 healthcare entities in the state. You go and you speak to the CEOs of the rural hospitals, they will tell you Medicaid is their lifeblood. She voted for 110,000 Iowans to lose their health care in a state with a cancer crisis and a health care crisis. And with the ACA subsidies, 119,000 Iowans seeing their health care premiums double or triple. I think that that is fundamentally wrong. I want to fight for every single Iowan to have affordable and accessible health care. And she did that all just to give tax breaks to billionaires. I think that that's backwards and wrong. -

Moderator

Actually, Hanson, and I will tell you that you're gonna get questions on healthcare coming up too. So, but feel free to respond how you'd like, but just wanted you to know that. while the back on the one big beautiful bill, the law contains tax provisions that you have celebrated, including the taxes on tips and overtime repealing. It also includes tax reductions for the wealthiest Americans. I wanted to ask you why those, specific tax cuts when needed, especially at a time when the national debt is so high at $40 trillion.

Josh Turek

That is incorrect. I voted against Medicaid cuts. And again, she's talking about $50 billion going. We lost $130 billion. And I'm out there. Actually, just two days ago, I ended up getting together with a group of families for disabled individuals. Our Medicaid system is already so fundamentally broken. We're 49th for Medicaid reimbursement. We have, let's see, 27,000 disabled Iowans right now that are on Medicaid wait lists. When you make these cuts to Medicaid, it is less services, less supports, and more closures. Again, just since Ashley Hinson's gone to D.C., 842. healthcare entities have closed. And in the last 10 years, we've closed 160 rural and independent pharmacies because of the lack of action on PBM reform. Iowans deserve to have affordable and accessible healthcare. I will not vote to make cuts to healthcare. I will ensure that Iowans have access to healthcare.

Moderator

Stephen? I appreciate you both starting the conversation on Medicaid. The Big Beautiful Bill does cut Medicaid spending close to a trillion dollars over a decade. You mentioned the Rural Health Transformation Fund that put some money back into rural health, but the reality is fewer people on Medicaid means there will be less money going to hospitals and more money that they pay to treat people who are uninsured. So what else can you do to help hospitals that are struggling financially as a result of this?

Ashley Hinson

Yes, well, that's why things like taking on big health insurance companies are absolutely critical. As I've been traveling around the state on my 99 county tour, I've heard directly from local providers about all of the challenges they face in chasing administrative claims. So the denials of care, the delays in care, the challenges around pre-authorizations. So I've introduced legislation, the Health Insurance Transparency for Patients Act, that would target these big health insurance companies so we can lower costs right at the site of the patient visit, right, and make sure physicians have more time with patients. We talk about PBM reform. We actually were able to get some provisions included in the appropriations bill earlier this year, but I know there's more to do there to hold these shady middlemen accountable for what they've done. They're driving up prices for people every single day in rural Iowa. So making sure we're supporting continued PBM reform. I look forward to working with Senator Grassley to get that done. And then you talk about how do we laser target resources directly to rural Iowa. I just introduced a bill that would take money from the tobacco taxes that are coming into the country and deploy those directly to help with research for cancer, specifically pediatric cancer and also rare cancers. So we are trying to make sure we're directing the resources exactly where they need to go so we can better recruit providers and continue to provide the best care possible no matter what your zip code is.

Moderator

Josh Turek, Medicaid, even before the Big Beautiful Bill, was a growing share of state budgets. Beyond repealing that bill, what else can you do to help keep those costs from growing and taking up too much of the state budgets?

Josh Turek

One of the things that we can do, and it's more of a state issue than it is federal, but I entered into politics just four years ago because of the privatization of Medicaid and what we were seeing. I was assessing and providing mobility devices, power wheelchairs, for individuals with progressive conditions like muscular dystrophy and ALS. And since the privatization of Medicaid, we were seeing a 1,000% increase in the denow rate. I thought that that was fundamentally wrong. There's a lot that we can do. We certainly need a fully funded Medicare, Medicaid. We need to, I agree with actually Representative Hinson on this issue. We need to put guardrails on insurance companies. I can tell you a story that nearly the day that I launched my campaign, my sister was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer. She has private insurance and her private insurance said because you have stage two, not stage three or stage four, we will not cover the PET scan to see if the cancer spread to other parts of your body. That is fundamentally wrong. Doctors should be deciding care, not insurance companies. So there's a lot we can do on this.

Moderator

It's likely the next Iowan who is elected to serve in the U.S. Senate will be making decisions about Social Security. The Social Security Board of Trustees says in six years Social Security will only be able to pay 78% of benefits. Josh Turek, we'll start with you. How would you ensure the solvency of Social Security?

Josh Turek

Well, first I'll say that Social Security is one of the greatest examples of a successful social safety net in this country. Pre-Social Security, you had nearly 70% of our seniors and elderly in this country living in abject poverty. It is an earned benefit. Many seniors like me started working early on, 12, 14 years old. This is an earned benefit. And the very best way to keep Social Security solvent is by taking off the cap. I think that it is fundamentally wrong that you have every single teacher and police officer and firefighter that is paying payroll tax and Social Security tax year-round. Meanwhile, you've got folks like Elon Musk and Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos that are paying just for the first few minutes of the year. The best way we can keep this solvent is by taking off the cap. But I'll say that my opponent, Ashley Hinson, has floated the idea of raising the age of Social Security. She has supported cuts to the Social Security Administration, which even led to the closure of the Social Security Administration into CORA. She voted against caps on things like insulin at $35 and even against Medicare negotiating drug costs. 10% support score amongst seniors. I have not voted for cuts to Social Security benefits and I will not support cuts to Social Security benefits. This is a serious issue for our seniors and it is a promise we need to keep to them.

Ashley Hinson

And what frustrates me and I think everybody watching tonight is the constant fear mongering around Social Security. We need a grown up U.S. Senator who is willing to work across the aisle to have conversations about what it's going to take to make sure we keep it solvent because raising the cap is not going to take care of the entire gap. That's just the reality of it. The way the program is set up it's not going to fix all the problems. So what I've advocated for and what I would support to take the politics out of it, and we talked about this before on this very program, let's set up a bipartisan commission that does the tough work of making the decisions about what we need to do so that we can have it presented to Congress, yes or no vote, and let's solve this for the American people for good because I agree we need to have it around for decades to come for our seniors.

Moderator

You mentioned being at this table two years ago and talking about this very commission. You also said all options should be on the table. What are those options?

Ashley Hinson

Well, I think we need to have the discussion because it is, it's a tough question to answer. And, you know, I think about where I'm at in my life. I think we need to have a serious conversation about, as a part of this, how young people are saving money, right? As you look at planning for retirement, I think My dad and I had this discussion when I was in sixth grade looking at a ledger book and trying to figure out, hey, how are we going to make sure you're set up for your life? Literally had those discussions in my household so that we could harness the power of compounding, right? So we need to be having a conversation simultaneously to all solutions on the table to make sure that it can stay solvent while we're also talking about how do we get more young people to save? the Trump accounts which set up our young people for success. Now every young person is enrolled in those so we're going to take some pressure off on the young end. We also need to be talking about millennials saving money. Millennials are the worst group of savers in the country right now and have the least amount of savings. So those are ways where I think we can help have a bigger conversation around saving in general, planning for retirement and making sure we're all able to experience a robust retirement.

Moderator

Josh Turek, Senator Chuck Grassley has often said raising the cap will not solve the Social Security issue. What other ideas do you have?

Josh Turek

It's a legitimate step in the right direction, though. I mean, the reality is, is that we've got this wealth divide and we've got tax avoidance. And what we have seen from people like Representative Hinson is going up there and only looking out for the billionaires. I realize that it's not a complete fix, but I promise you it's going to move things significantly in the right direction. Again, I think that it's wrong and every Iowan that I've spoken to as I've been going around this state recognizes that for teachers and police officers and nurses to be paying year-round into Social Security, meanwhile you've got these handful of billionaires that are just paying for the first few minutes of the year, that is wrong. Let's make sure that billionaires and large corporations are paying their fair share. that will move the needle in a very serious way to keep Social Security solvent. Because again, This is an earned benefit, and 700,000 Iowan seniors deserve to have this earned benefit.

Ashley Hinson

The only thing I'm hearing from him is that the only solution to everything is to raise taxes. And I'm glad you brought up teachers and firefighters and first responders because I was able to get the Social Security Fairness Act across the finish line in the House, a bill that makes sure that these first responders and classroom folks are actually able to get the benefits that are owed to them. So I've worked across the aisle to make sure we were getting that done.

Moderator

Do both of you think that raising the retirement age is, I guess, decreasing the benefits for potential beneficiaries, Ashley Henson?

Ashley Hinson

If you're 20 years old, it's a very different conversation than if you're at retirement age is what I would say as I think about that. I'm not in favor of raising the retirement age.

Moderator

Move on. Ashley Henson, you have pushed for inclusion of your Save Our Bacon Act in the Farm Bill. But as of now, not all of your fellow Republicans are on board. It was included in the version that was advanced in the Senate. Is it essential to you Ashley Henson, that the provision be included in the bill's final version in the farm bill?

Moderator

So if that comes back from the Senate without... that provision in there. What's your vote on that bill?

Ashley Hinson

I'm still going to support a farm bill. That's going to be my priority is making sure we get that across the finish line. There's a lot of good policy in there, including on fertilizer and animal research and biosecurity, which is another conversation we need to have about how do we set ourselves up so that we can push back on maybe challenges with with African swine fever and other issues that may be affecting avian influenza, for example. So there are so many things in the Farm Bill that we need to get across the finish line. And it's unfortunate that every Democrat in the Senate Agriculture Committee voted no. And it's unfortunate that my opponent did not show up. Josh Turek did not show up to vote for the Iowa Farm Bill this year to stand up for Iowa farmers.

Moderator

Josh Turk, Democrats have refused to support the federal farm bill over new rules that require states to pay 75% of administrative costs for SNAP. I believe you've said that you would have voted for it. Why is that?

Josh Turek

I would have voted for it because I don't think that we should let perfection stand in the way of progress. And as I've been traveling around the state for the last 400 years, I have run into farmer after farmer after farmer telling me that this has been one gut punch after another. from the money going to Argentina so the Chinese can buy theirs, to the tariffs that Ashley voted in favor of five times, to the war in Iran that's leading to diesel prices. I'm hearing farmers saying, "Josh, I am worried that I am not going to be here." Century farmers are saying, "I'm going to end up in foreclosures." And so, Yeah, I would have voted in favor of that. But what if we really want to address this issue for farmers? I think that that farm bill needs to contain year-round E15. I think that it needs to contain mandatory of country of origin labeling on beef and on pork. We have labeling on everything, including our clothes, our clothes. Iowans and Americans should know where their beef and where their pork is coming from. We should have a federal right to repair, something I've worked very hard on in the Iowa legislature. Farmers should be able to repair their equipment in a timely manner. And we should repeal these chaotic tariffs that are decimating. And in the U.S. Senate, I will work to pass a farm bill and have a provision in place that Congress cannot adjourn without passing a farm bill. Let's pass a farm bill. If I was there in the Senate right now, I would work across the aisle and I would vote in favor of it.

Moderator

I want to talk about immigration for a little bit. Josh Turek, Democrats have pushed reforms to ICE this year, including body cameras, a use of force policy, and other things. During the primary, you said that you wouldn't vote for any DHS funding without those reforms in place. Is that still your position?

Josh Turek

Yeah, that is my position. I think that we can have a couple things be true at the same time. First, we need to have safe and secure borders. And I went down to Laredo. I saw the border. I saw that we still have far more to do to address drugs coming across, to address fentanyl, and to address human trafficking. I'm the only one up on this stage that has actually worked across the aisle to address immigration. I was one of three Democrats to vote with Republicans because if you have come here illegally and you have committed violent crimes, you should no longer be here. But at the same time, I think we can recognize that we need to have a pathway to earned citizenship for those that have come here legally. And I do think that we, you know, I think we can all agree that we don't want to see Americans shot in the street. So I think some common sense reforms, I'm a common sense populist, some common sense reforms would be in order.

Josh Turek

And here's the reality on this issue is that Ashley Henson absolutely had the opportunity to vote for a bipartisan bill that would have addressed this, like comprehensive immigration reform. And she chose to play political games. I mean, this was a bill that was endorsed by the Border Patrol, called one of the most robust, one of the most conservative. and decided to play political games instead of voting for it. I acted at the state level because of the failure of DC, because of the failure of people like Ashley Hinson. My voting record is clear. I was one of three Democrats and I took a lot of heat for it in the primary because I believe that we need to have safe and secure borders. She talks about the Dignity Act. That is sponsored by Representative Nunn. You also have Representative Miller-Meeks and Representative Feenstra that are out there talking about the Ag Workers bill. What I am talking about is we can have safe and secure borders, and we need to have a pathway to earn citizenship for those that have come here legally.

Josh Turek

well certainly i was the one that was starting the fire and i've been very very clear and unequivocal on this issue people can even see i'm running television ads on it I believe that we need to have safe and secure borders, and I want to ensure that every Iowan and every American has safe and secure borders and safe communities. And I'm willing to work with anyone, including President Trump, on this issue.

Ashley Hinson

You trashed the president during the primary, and now you're doing ads saying you're going to work with him.

Moderator

It's a tale of two Turks. Ashley Hinson, I do want to ask you about immigration enforcement. President Trump said in 2024 that ICE would focus on the worst of the worst. We have seen arrests of people with criminal records as well as people without criminal records, and as was mentioned tonight, Americans have been shot by immigration agents. Do you think ICE is focusing on the worst of the worst?

Ashley Hinson

ICE does need to focus on the worst of the worst, and that's exactly why I've supported funding to make sure they do have body cameras and that we're holding these agents accountable as they do their jobs. but they need to be able to do their jobs in our communities. And the reason we have a relatively easy process here in Iowa is because our law enforcement can cooperate efficiently with ICE. That's legislation that I supported back when I was in the State House and now I'm supporting the funding to make sure that they can go into our communities safely and work with local law enforcement. Josh Turek voted to make it harder for our sheriffs in sanctuary cities if they want to to not comply with immigration enforcement. I think that's wrong. I do think we need to be prioritizing the worst of the worst. But Democrats in Congress shut down these agencies, including not just CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but TSA, the Coast Guard, other really, really important agencies like the Secret Service that keep our dignitaries protected. They voted to shut that down and my opponent tonight said on the record that he would continue to uphold that vote.

Moderator

We're going to move on to another subject here. Let's talk about tech and artificial intelligence. Last week the Senate failed to pass a bill about data centers that you had voted for and tech executives have raised some very serious concerns about the development of artificial intelligence. So, Ashley Hinson, what's the risk of Congress just doing nothing?

Ashley Hinson

It's a huge risk and I hear from so many people who are concerned about AI. We had this conversation actually around our kitchen table not that long ago, mostly in the context of what jobs are going to exist going forward because I have a 15-year-old kid who was thinking about, hey, I want to maybe be an architect. Is that job even going to be there because is AI going to come along and take my job? And so we're having a lot of those conversations. But you talk about the safeguards that need to be in place. It is absolutely critical that we can develop AI and it's not China that's winning the fight, but we need to have some common sense safeguards on there. So whether it's protecting our kids from AI generated pornography, whether it's making sure that as these AI models advance that they can't hack into our critical infrastructure, that's a key And then I want to make sure that obviously we're having conversations around data centers and what is right for our communities. That is why the ratepayer protection element of what we passed through the House a few weeks ago, I was proud to vote for that because while we have to have places to store our data we have to do this right and we have to make sure ratepayers are not on the hook for increased utility rates.

Moderator

Josh, Tariq, what are your thoughts?

Josh Turek

Well, AI is going to fundamentally transform the society. The question is, is it going to benefit all of us or is this going to be a continuation of consolidation of wealth and power into the hands of a few? And there are some very, very serious, I mean, honestly, some of the most troubling conversations that I've had in running, in meeting with AI folks, is it is going to fundamentally transform society. And the reality is we cannot trust somebody like Ashley Henson, who has experienced supported 50 billion dollars in tax breaks going to these tech companies I agree we should not see the ground to to China but the reality is we've got to have protections to jobs to children's to data security and certainly to elections I mean my God there's there's AI videos of me out there walking around it's ridiculous and certainly I don't know if we're going to go into data centers but I am absolutely in favor of some regulations on data centers, something I hear about everywhere I'm going all across Iowa. And I think one, we need to have no more tax breaks to these corporations, pay their fair share. Secondly, we need to make sure that these data centers are not driving up the energy rates to the end user. And thirdly, and maybe most importantly, In a state where we have a water quality crisis that is leading to a cancer crisis, we need to ensure that they are not using and abusing our natural resources like our water. I think they should be mandated to be on a closed loop circuit, which can reduce water consumption somewhere between 70 and 90 percent.

Moderator

And that's a federal law you're advocating.

Josh Turek

That's correct.

Moderator

What would you say to a federal law of that nature?

Ashley Hinson

Yeah, I think absolutely data centers should not be getting tax breaks. I think it's important that we have these conversations at the local level. And I think there is a right way and a wrong way to do it. And if a community wants to hit pause, it should be up to them about what's right for their community so they can have conversations. safe investment in their community. That's why again, we talk about utility rates, it was one of the biggest concerns that I hear. And then again, water, if you're wanting to turn on your spigot and know that there's safe drinking water there, that's why I've brought back millions of dollars of investment into the district to water quality and water infrastructure so that Iowans know that they have safe drinking water. And that's why I supported the rate payer protection bill through the house because we need to protect people from rate increases.

Josh Turek

- She also voted four times. in favor of cuts and deregulations to the Clean Water Act, also taken thousands of dollars from Chinese companies and tried to provide them immunity. That is not the way to address the water quality crisis that we're seeing in Iowa.

Moderator

Erin? Both of you have talked about during this campaign about your willingness to work across the aisle. Josh Turek, start with you. Another side of bipartisanship could also mean pushing back against your own party. Yeah. How can voters expect you to do that?

Josh Turek

Because I've done it. Again, one of the things that I'm the most proud of is independently recognized as one of the most bipartisan, as one of the most effective. When I joined the Iowa legislature, I was told, "Josh, you'll never get a subcommittee, you'll never get a committee, you'll certainly never get anything signed by the governor." And I said, "No, I refuse. We can come up here and have a monkey push the red button over and over." I did the hard work behind the scenes and I built strange bedfellows. I built relationships across the aisle where I would say, look, maybe we disagree on 90, 95% of policy, but we agree on this. And we can do some good things here because honestly, I believe more than even Republican versus Democrat, what Iowans want is they want someone that is going to go up and work hard to provide solutions to people's problems through bipartisan policy. I say all the time, I don't even love politics. A lot of this, I'm sure you, I mean, we don't love seeing the negative television ads all the time, but I love policy. I love being able to get up there every single day and work to solve people's problems because everywhere I'm going, I'm seeing Iowans that are hurting. I've been there. I grew up in a working class family and a working class community, went to the Goodwill for a close, shared clothes, had 21 surgeries by the age of 12. I know what that struggle is. Iowans are hurting and they deserve to have somebody that's going to go up there and fight for them.

Moderator

Ashley Hansen, when you announced for this election, you said you were running to be President Trump's top ally in Congress. How can you do that and be bipartisan?

Ashley Hinson

Yeah, it's really easy. You work with the person who's going to sign the bills no matter who that person is on things that are important to your state and that's exactly what I've done. I'm in the top 20% of bipartisan lawmakers in Congress and I have delivered under both presidents. Under President Biden, I was in the Oval Office when I had my bill on veterans' mental health being signed into law and my stillbirth prevention bill to make sure that we're supporting healthy pregnancies and healthy moms. Those are two examples of things that I got a across the finish line, signed by President Biden. And then I'll be President Trump's ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him. He knows this 'cause I talk to him regularly on things that are wrong for our state. And that's true no matter who's in the White House, that's true no matter who is governing and who has the gavel. So hopefully it's not Chuck Schumer, but if it's Chuck Schumer, I'll work with him. I got things across the line with Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, so I think that shows that I can work with anyone.

Moderator

This may end up being the most expensive race in Iowa history. We've talked about the ad several times tonight and it's easier than ever for political parties and outside groups to spend money on advertisements. Ashley Hinson, is it time for Congress to do something to put some limits on this spending?

Moderator

Yeah, Josh Turk, I wanted to ask you about your pledge. Your opponent just mentioned you had a pledge not to accept corporate PAC money, but there was outside spending on your behalf in the primary. So what does that pledge mean if these outside groups can still come in and spend on your behalf?

Josh Turek

Yeah, unfortunately, this is why we need to have campaign finance reform. I have not taken any corporate PAC money, nor will I, as she's taken millions of dollars in corporate pack money. Look, the reality is we have a corruption crisis in this country and it is leading to an affordability crisis. And that corruption crisis is because we're sending people to D.C. like Ashley Hinson that have used her position of power to become 15 times more wealthy as she's voting for cuts to health care, food assistance and the Social Security Administration just to give tax breaks to billionaires. I have made one of the number one priorities in this race that we have to address corruption. Corruption in two ways. One, I want to fight to overturn Citizens United because we can have oligarchy, we can have democracy, we cannot have both. We have outsized influence from billionaires and large corporations. She's talking about money coming in, over $85 million coming in to support her outside money, super PAC money for negative television ads. I also want to go up there and root out these issues. I'm in favor of term limits. I'm in favor of banning members of Congress from owning and trading stocks and the Supreme Court, because people like Ashley Hinson shouldn't be able to use her position of power to become 15 times more wealthy, and also having a provision to mandate members of Congress to have at least one annual town hall per year. Because in the whole entire year of running for the U.S. Senate, she's not had one annual town hall. Iowans deserve better. They deserve someone to go up there and address this corruption crisis because it's being paid for off the backs of the average Iowan. middle-class families like mine.

Moderator

You both have talked about term limits. Josh, Tarek, I'll start with you. The reason that we're having this conversation perhaps is because Joni Ernst has adhered to her two-term limit. You've said you support term limits. What is your term limit and would you adhere to it if there's not a constitutional amendment forcing you to do so?

Josh Turek

Absolutely will adhere to it. I also am going to, I give my pledge now to do the full Grassley, all 99 counties each year because I think that Iowans deserve to be able to have a senator that is going to show up up and hear from them. I mean, I have learned so much in this process and this 400 days of doing town hall after town hall, going out there and talking with folks. So I think there's two ways we can do it. And it's based on how many terms you want to see in the Senate. If it's going to be three terms in the Senate, 18 years, then you make it 14 years in Congress. Or if you want to make it two terms, 12 years, you can do two years in Congress. I also think that we should have term limits for the Supreme Court, and that can be 20 years or 25 years. But I think that it's time to rotate the crops. You think about Senator Grassley, and he's even talked about the need for term limits. He has been a senator as long as I've been alive. He's been involved in representative government since 1958. That is the Eisenhower administration. We need to have term limits.

Moderator

Ashley Hansen, do you support term limits?

Ashley Hinson

I think if we can come to agreement on them, I would support that on the floor. What I don't want to see happen is Iowa lose its stature, and that is important that we have good standing in the Senate so that we can get things we need done for our state. If there's a term limit bill that comes to the floor, I'll absolutely support it. And I do want to eventually retire and spend time with my husband and my kids at some point, too. But I think that you talk about how important it is to have good representatives. Iowans know how to vet candidates very, very well. And in my congressional seat right now, there have been four members of Congress since 2014. So I would say the two-year term limiting that's happening by voters is working very well.

Moderator

We're down to our last couple minutes already. Ashley Henson, President Trump is sending some Americans $500 Affordable Care Act refund checks, making major White House renovations, and now promising $5,000 checks if Republicans win majorities in this election. all without congressional action. Has Congress abdicated its budgeting and oversight responsibilities?

Ashley Hinson

Well, speaking as someone who serves on the Appropriations Committee right now, I care very deeply about Article 1 of the Constitution, which is making sure that we have the power of the purse. When they have proposed budget requests that were unreasonable, we as appropriators, both Republicans and Democrats, push back on that. We pass our own bills. I think I think we need better regular order in Washington, D.C. And I do want to see Washington, D.C. run a lot more like the state of Iowa where we have to live better within our means. We should have to tighten our budgets if things are tough, which is where we are right now. I have voted for a lot of those reforms to be happening in Washington, making sure that we are actually spending appropriately and bringing back investments to our state like I've done, $140 million in investments in my congressional district alone for water quality, healthcare, and for our farmers. So I think there's a way to do it where you can have good regular order, but still be respectful of the process for taxpayers.

Moderator

- In our last minute, Josh Turek, President Trump says if Democrats take the House majority, He believes they will impeach him again. Do you believe President Trump has committed any impeachable offenses?

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AMNA NAWAZ: Ashley. ASHLEY PARKER:

Ashley Hinson

I'm delivering and fighting for Iowans every single day because I'm a working mom. I understand what families are facing. I have been through many of those challenges, written the daycare checks. I understand it's important to stand up for Iowa taxpayers to make sure rural America has a seat at the table and that we have a safe and secure country. So my pledge to Iowans tonight, if you elect me as your next United States senator, I will continue to stand up for your priorities and tell your stories because I'm a working mom myself.

Moderator

Thanks to both of you candidates for being here and sharing your views with voters. Thank you. Thanks for having us. This is the first of four Iowa Press debates on Iowa PBS this month. Tomorrow, October 8th, candidates for U.S. House from Iowa's 2nd Congressional District will be here. Next Wednesday, October 14th, we'll question U.S. House candidates for the 4th District. Then on Wednesday, October 21st, a debate here between the two candidates for governor. All of the Iowa Press debates are live at 7 p.m. on statewide Iowa PBS and streaming online. The other statewide elected candidates are scheduled to appear on our weekly Iowa Press show on the weekend until 11 election day this week. The candidates for Attorney General. For everyone here at Iowa PBS, thanks for watching this evening.

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