WorldUpdated November 5
Turek made rural gains in counties Trump carried in 2024.
Preliminary returns show Turek winning rural Winneshiek by about 50% to 47%; Trump had carried the county by roughly 9 points in 2024, and turnout was around 71%. In Dubuque, Turek led by about 5 points after Trump won there by around 9. Appanoose still had Republican Ashley Hinson ahead, but her preliminary lead of about 24 points was far below Trump’s roughly 47-point margin there in 2024. The report places these county shifts alongside farm pressures, not as proof of what drove individual votes. Iowa State researchers estimated corn production costs had risen 37% and soybean costs 36% since 2021; farmers were in a third straight year of overall production costs exceeding the prices they received for their crops. The report also describes rising fuel costs and trade concerns: even after China resumed buying U.S. soybeans, its imports in the first nine months of 2026 were 34% lower than a year earlier. Turek campaigned on farmers’ right to repair equipment, limiting concentration among large agricultural companies, and small-town health-care costs.
Coverage started November 5
Key Actors
- Joshua Turek
- United States Senate
