Mary Riche is a lifelong feminist, past president of Planned Parenthood in Iowa, founding officer of the 501(c)(3) Iowa Coalition for Reproductive Freedom, speaker about women leaders not included in our history books or education curriculum, and an advocate for reproductive freedom and abortion rights. You can reach her via email at maryriche@gmail.com.

Josh Turek isn’t just a strong candidate—he is the Democrat who can win back Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat. Josh brings the disciplined work ethic, grit, and proven ability to win at a time when Iowans need results for their problems, not political talking points.

I enthusiastically support Josh Turek because he has shown he’s a winner in a tough district, and can connect with voters across political lines. He was re-elected by a five-point margin in the “reddest” seat held by a Democrat in all of Iowa—at the same time President Donald Trump carried the state by double digits. 

Josh has built his record by listening to Iowans first—and working across differences to get results that matter locally. His likely Republican opponent, U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, offers a clear contrast. In Washington, she is a partisan politician who votes with her party’s leadership for the president’s national agenda.

Iowans are feeling the consequences of Hinson’s party-line votes as their family budgets strain from rising costs of food, gas, and medicine while access to essential services like vaccinations, public education and health care are being cut or eliminated. Josh understands that government should work for people—not the other way around.

Josh’s personal story is both compelling and inspiring. Born with spina bifida, he endured multiple surgeries as a child and now uses a wheelchair.

He persevered and became a champion athlete—two-time U.S. Paralympic gold medalist in wheelchair basketball, an achievement built on skill, teamwork, and a competitive determination to win. 

That same commitment fueled his first campaign for the Iowa legislature. Perhaps you’ve seen the campaign video of Josh crawling up flights of stairs—carrying his wheelchair behind him—so he could meet voters face-to-face. He listened. They responded. And they elected him over his GOP opponent. Twice!

That’s the kind of performance Democrats need in a statewide race.

Josh calls himself a “prairie populist,” and it fits. He believes government should expand opportunities, not create barriers that make life harder for people to live. 

His political hero is former U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act—a law that transformed millions of lives, including Josh’s. Harkin’s legacy is rooted in standing up for Iowans and all people, offering a blueprint for the kind of public servant Josh aims to be.

Although Josh and I come from different generations, we share a lifelong commitment to equality and justice.

As a young college graduate, I was denied credit in my own name and steered away from careers because I was a woman. Progress came because women like me used our voices—and our votes—to fight for change.

Today, that progress is slipping away. In Iowa, lawmakers and the governor have stripped women of our bodily autonomy and imposed severe restrictions on reproductive health care.  Now, more than two-thirds of Iowa’s counties are part of a maternal health care desert, and access to OB-GYN care ranks among the worst in the nation.

The stakes for Iowa women in this election are not abstract—they are personal, immediate, and real. Because the freedoms Iowa women fought for—and won—should not be something we have to win back. Josh understands what’s at stake—and he will be a champion for Iowa women and families.

This is a generational opportunity, and it will not be easy for a Democrat in Iowa’s current political landscape. It will take disciplined hard work, a strong turnout by our party’s voters, and way too much money.   

And I’m still convinced it is possible to win—with the right candidate.  

Josh Turek is that candidate.

---

Editor’s note: Bleeding Heartland welcomes guest commentaries by any Democratic candidate running for office in 2026, or by their supporters. Please read these guidelines and contact Laura Belin if you are interested in writing.