Republican Senate nominee Ashley Hinson will join President Donald Trump at a rally in Sioux City on Thursday, as Iowa's U.S. Senate race enters its final stretch with control of Congress on the line. The visit to Iowa's conservative northwest corner is aimed at firing up turnout among the president's loyal supporters ahead of the November midterms.
Hinson, who currently represents northeast Iowa in the U.S. House, is locked in a tightening race with Democratic state lawmaker Josh Turek. The congresswoman has walked a careful line in the campaign's closing weeks, promising to work with the president while pushing back on a handful of policies she says would hurt Iowa, according to reporting from ITV Hub.
Hinson Balances Trump Alliance With Independent Streak
When Hinson launched her campaign last year, she touted Trump's endorsement and said she was running to be his top ally in the Senate. Nearly a year later, her pitch has shifted. Hinson now says she wants to be Iowa's best bipartisan fighter.
That balancing act was on full display at a recent debate with Turek.
“I'll be President Trump's ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him,” Hinson promised. “He knows this.”
She has backed up that message with concrete examples. In August, Hinson called Trump's plan to increase beef imports from foreign countries a bad idea that would hurt Iowa farmers. Last month, after two of her House colleagues from Iowa voted against Trump's ability to continue the war with Iran without congressional approval, Hinson said the conflict has grown too costly for Americans and called on the president to bring it to a successful and immediate end.
Most recently, Hinson criticized Trump's decision to ease sanctions on Russia in exchange for diesel fuel. She told reporters Tuesday that the United States needs to make sure dictators aren't allowed to win wars.
“I think the president and I share the goal of lowering costs for working families and for people who are using diesel,” Hinson said after a campaign event. “I, again, just don't think we need to be making any deals with Russia.”
Hinson said she had not spoken with the president about the issue but added, “Maybe I'll have a chance to come have a conversation with him at the rally.”
Trump Returns to Iowa to Drive Midterm Turnout
The Sioux City rally puts Hinson shoulder to shoulder with the president in safe Republican territory, a move geared toward boosting turnout even as it ties her more closely to the White House, the Associated Press reported. Trump is expected to return to Iowa again on November 1.
Hinson defended the joint appearance during a Fox News interview last week.
“I will be there at the rally to welcome him to Iowa because I think this is a contrast election,” Hinson said. “There was never a good time to elect a tax-and-spend liberal to the United States Senate but now would be the worst time.”
Iowa Republican Party Chair Jeff Kaufmann said the president is anxious for Iowans to hear his message before they vote.
Trump's personal outreach to Hinson is hard to miss. The congresswoman recently told supporters that after dropping her boys off at school this month, she saw the initials DJT flash on her phone and heard the president introduce himself with the words, “Ashley, it's your favorite president.”
Turek Pitches Immigration Deal With Trump
Turek, a state lawmaker from Council Bluffs, was in Sioux City for a campaign event Tuesday and told reporters he was happy for Trump to visit so Iowans could see how his tariffs and the Iran war have hurt Iowa more than any other state. He called Hinson a rubber stamp for the president's bad policies.
At the same time, Turek has carved out an unusual position for a Democrat. He is the only Iowa candidate seeking federal office who explicitly mentions Trump in general election television advertisements, according to an Associated Press analysis of AdImpact data.
In one ad, Turek sits behind the wheel and talks about Interstate 35, which connects Iowa to the southern border and a broken immigration system that both parties have failed to fix.
“In the U.S. Senate, I'll work with anyone to fix it, including President Trump, to secure the border, stop the flow of drugs into Iowa,” Turek says in the spot.
Republicans dismiss the pitch as election-year posturing from a candidate pretending to be a moderate. Mazie Stilwell, executive director of the progressive group Progress Iowa, said the immigration message targets a bloc of voters who care deeply about the issue while Turek keeps his broader focus on the high costs facing Iowans.
Stilwell argued that Trump's Thursday visit is a terrific reminder, in her words, of the disaster his administration has been for everyday Iowans trying to make ends meet.
Big Money and High Stakes in Iowa's Senate Race
Iowa is no stranger to competitive Senate races, even though Trump carried the state by double digits in the last presidential election. Broadcast and cable ad spending has already topped $200 million this cycle, according to AdImpact data cited by WHIO. Republicans have spent slightly more for Hinson than Democrats have for Turek, a reversal from 2020, when Democrats outspent the GOP by nearly $30 million in their unsuccessful bid to unseat Senator Joni Ernst.
Recent polling from late September and early October suggests Hinson's strategy is working. She is holding roughly 1 in 10 voters who disapprove of the president while keeping overwhelming support among Iowans who approve of him.
Turnout remains the big question for Republicans. Iowa GOP activist Kelley Koch said she worries that complacency could dampen conservative turnout, even among voters loyal to the president.
“They say, 'Why are you all hyped up about the midterms, Kelley, Trump will take care of everything,'” Koch said.
She expects the Trump effect from the president's visits will help protect Republican majorities in the House and Senate. But Koch, who supports Hinson, offered a blunt message for the nominee.
“Right now, we had better unite around our president,” Koch said.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Trump holding his rally with Ashley Hinson in Sioux City?
The rally is scheduled for Thursday, October 22, 2026, in Sioux City, in Iowa's conservative northwest corner. Trump is expected to return to Iowa again on November 1.
What is Ashley Hinson's position on working with President Trump?
Hinson says she will be Trump's ally when it matters for Iowa but will push back on him, citing his beef import plan, the cost of the Iran conflict, and the decision to ease sanctions on Russia.
Who is Josh Turek?
Turek is a Democratic state lawmaker running against Hinson for U.S. Senate. He says he will work with Trump on immigration and border security while blaming the president's tariffs and the Iran war for high costs hurting Iowans.