Takeaways from the first Iowa Senate debate

By Eric Bradner, CNN

(CNN) — Donald Trump’s shadow looms over every contest in November’s midterm elections — but on an Iowa debate stage Wednesday night, the president’s name was rarely mentioned.

The two candidates battling for Iowa’s Senate seat, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson and Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, kept their sometimes sharp disagreements on issues like health care funding, the future of Social Security and lowering gas and diesel prices largely focused on the policies at hand — and on branding their opponent as out of step with Iowa voters.

The debate highlighted the realities of several Senate races key to the battle for control of the chamber playing out in red states like Iowa. Hinson is seeking to avoid being saddled with Trump’s sagging popularity without alienating a GOP base still loyal to the president. And Turek must win over at least some Trump voters in a state he carried by 13 points in 2024.

Turek said he thinks what Iowans want most is lawmakers who will “provide solutions to people’s problems through bipartisan policy.”

Hinson, meanwhile, accused Turek of changing his tune and adopting a friendlier posture toward Trump.

“You trashed the president during the primary, and now you’re doing ads saying you’re going to work with him. It’s a tale of two Tureks,” she said.

Here are takeaways from Iowa’s Senate debate:

Turek aims for the middle

Turek, vying to reverse Democrats’ slippage in Iowa over the last decade, was clearly focused on attracting independents and moderate Republican voters.

For the most part, Turek tried to make the the case that Trump’s policies are “hurting Iowans in a unique way” without mentioning the president’s name. He said tariffs have driven up the prices of fertilizer and other inputs for farmers in the state; that the war with Iran has sent diesel prices soaring; and that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act gutted funding for rural hospitals and left some Iowans who depended on Medicaid or Obamacare subsidies without coverage.

He highlighted Hinson’s votes in Congress aligning with the president’s position on those issues, but did so without naming Trump.

But in a rarity for a battleground Democrat, Turek also praised parts of Trump’s signature legislation.

“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,” he said. “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 … I believe that we should have no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security.”

He also bragged that he was willing to buck his own party and work with Republicans in the state legislature.

He pledged to “do the ‘full Grassley,’” a reference to the state’s senior senator, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, visiting all 99 of Iowa’s counties every year.

And he said he would not align with Democrats who might seek to impeach Trump if the party takes control of the House and Senate in November’s midterms.

“I have no interest in impeachment,” he said. “I think that we need to look forward, not back. My full intention is to go out there and to work on policy that is going to benefit everyday Iowans.”

Hinson tries to undercut Turek but also distance from Trump

Hinson, meanwhile, sought to undercut the image Turek aimed to build — while also casting herself as independent-minded and willing to break from Trump.

She suggested Turek would “vote like an East Coast liberal.”

She also sought to navigate around Turek’s criticism of her votes aligning with Trump on the war with Iran and tariffs — in part by pointing a finger at former President Joe Biden, saying she didn’t want a repeat of Biden’s management of the US military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan or the former Democratic president’s handling of the southern border.

Hinson was one of the first Republicans to break with Trump on the war with Iran, calling last month for the president to bring that war to a quick end. And on Wednesday night, she emphasized her willingness to push the president.

“I’ll be President Trump’s ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him — he knows this, because I talk to him regularly — on things that are wrong for our state,” she said.

But, she added, nodding to the potential majority leader if Democrats win control of the Senate in November: “Hopefully it’s not Chuck Schumer, but if it’s Chuck Schumer, I’ll work with him.”

Social Security split

Both Turek and Hinson said they see a grim future for Social Security without changes to the program. But they had dramatically different answers when asked how they would preserve Social Security’s solvency.

Hinson suggested she is open to phasing in an increase in the age – currently 62 – at which retirees become eligible to draw Social Security checks.

“If you’re 20 years old, it’s a very different conversation than if you’re at retirement age,” she said.

She also said part of the problem is that younger Americans are bad at saving money and suggested “Trump accounts” created by the Treasury Department would help. “Millennials are the worst group of savers in the country right now,” she said.

Turek, though, said he opposes changes to the retirement age, and would rather lift the $184,500 wage base cap on Social Security taxes.

“I promise you, it’s going to move things significantly in the right direction,” Turek said, adding: “Let’s make sure that billionaires and large corporations are paying their fair share.”

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