Turek Cites Medicaid Cuts, Rural Hospital Closures in Iowa Senate Bid

Democrat Josh Turek, an Iowa state representative running for U.S. Senate against Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson, campaigned in Ottumwa with former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026 election. Turek argued Iowa is "uniquely hurting" from Trump administration and Republican policies, pointing specifically to rural health care closures he says were spurred in part by Medicaid cuts in the 2025 federal reconciliation law, along with tariff impacts on the state's agriculture economy. The event was part of a get-out-the-vote door-knocking push in the campaign's final stretch. No new Medicaid policy action was announced; the reference is a campaign argument tying federal Medicaid funding reductions to rural hospital access.

LTSS