Josh Turek pitches “generational change” in tight Senate race as Iowa faces crushing health and affordability issues

Updated on: November 2, 2026 / 11:10 PM EST / CBS News

Sioux City, Iowa — Democratic Senate hopeful Josh Turek was with former Sen. Tom Harkin in a driveway in a small Western Iowa town when the former senator pulled out his phone to show the candidate something.

"Oh my God," Turek said as he leaned over to glance at Harkin's phone, which appeared to show the prediction market Kalshi's odds for the Senate race.

The odds had Turek up over GOP candidate Ashley Hinson, 52% to 48%. But Turek knows the race against Hinson is making out to be one of the most competitive Senate contests in the country. He said as much there in the final hours of the campaign.

"This may very well be the closest election on the entire U.S. Senate map," Turek said, surrounded by a small crowd of supporters at the canvass launch in Le Mars, Iowa.

He's pitching the race in Iowa as an opportunity for a "generational change." After moving right in recent years, a departure from its former status as a battleground, the state could send a Democrat to the governor's office this year and flip a handful of House…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/