Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) is leading her Democrat competitor, current state Rep. Josh Turek (D), in Iowa’s Senate race, an Emerson College Polling/Nexstar Media Iowa survey revealed.
The September survey showed Hinson with 50 percent support among likely voters. Turek falls five points behind, garnering 45 percent support. However another five percent remain undecided. Emerson College noted that these results reflect a two-point increase in support for Hinson over the last month.
In August, 48 percent supported Hinson, with Turek remaining the same with 45 percent support. Six percent were undecided in the month of August. Ultimately, Hinson has expanded her lead over the Democrat from three points to five.
“About six percent of voters in the Iowa poll are splitting their ticket to support both Republican Ashley Hinson for Senate and Democrat Rob Sand for Governor,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, said in a statement. He noted that Turek leads Hinson by two points — 46 percent to 44 percent — among independent voters.
The survey was taken August 31-September 1, 2026, among 750 likely voters. It has a +/- 3.6 percent margin of error.
The poll comes as Democrat Turek, backed by Barack Obama, continues to showcase his far-left views, particularly on the issue of illegal immigration. Despite describing himself as a “prairie populist” and a “common-sense” lawmaker, he openly advised illegal aliens on avoiding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainment in his official legislative newsletter.
“Given the recent policy changes enacted by the Trump administration on both legal and illegal immigrants, I wanted to provide a thorough list of your rights and how they apply in different scenarios. The ACLU is a great resource that provides tips on what to do in various situations. Please click here to read more,” the newsletter reads.
As Breitbart News reported, during his time as an Iowa lawmaker Turek also “voted to support taxpayer-funded welfare benefits for illegal immigrants, despite his campaign subsequently saying he ‘opposes benefits for illegal immigrants’”:
Turek voted to restrict Iowa law enforcement from working with ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] to deport dangerous illegal immigrants and also missed a vote to verify the citizenship status of Iowa voters.
Now, Turek is attempting to distance himself from his own record on supporting taxpayer-funded welfare for illegal immigrants as his campaign claims he “opposes benefits for illegal immigrants.”
In contrast, Hinson lists securing the border as a top issue, calling to enforce the country’s immigration laws and deport “dangerous criminal illegal immigrants.” She has praised the Trump administration for increasing deportations.
“And we are respecting our borders again, and we’re respecting our sovereignty again. And I think what’s really, really important here is, when you look at those numbers, this is just the start,” she said during an appearance on Breitbart News Saturday in August 2025.
“To your point about President Biden letting in literally, I think it’s, you know, probably 20 million illegal immigrants when you look at the total numbers and all of those got-aways, President Trump has already secured our border. Those border crossings and the got-aways are down to zero,” she said at the time, adding, “We should be deporting illegal immigrants.”
She continued, “We’re a nation of laws. We need to be following those laws. And it’s very clear there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s not afraid to make sure we’re standing up for the American people.”
