NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas flew into Iowa on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, to interview both major-party Senate candidates, putting the state's closely watched race between Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek in front of a national audience of millions.
The back-to-back interviews are part of a deliberate effort by the network to sit down with both candidates in the country's most competitive Senate races, according to Mediaite, which spoke with Nightly News executive producer Matt Frucci about the trip.
Llamas Logs Long Hours on Iowa's Roads
The travel schedule alone shows how far the network is willing to go. Frucci told Mediaite that Llamas flew into Omaha, Nebraska, then drove to western Iowa to interview Hinson. After that, he faced another three-hour drive to reach Turek.
And the candidate interviews were only part of the day.
'In the middle, he's going to talk to some voters. He's going to talk to some farmers. He's going to stop by an early voting location,' Frucci said. 'That kind of shows the lengths that we're going to, to make sure that we are getting both sides when we go out on a big reporting trip like this.'
For Iowa voters, that means the issues driving the Senate race here will be put before a national audience, with the state's farmers and early voting locations featured in the same broadcast.
Tough Questions for Both Parties
Frucci told Mediaite the program does not approach these interviews with a quota of hard questions for each side. Instead, a research team studies the issues voters in each state actually care about and builds the questions from there, 'no matter what those questions are.'
'I think Tom's journalism in his interview kind of stands for itself. I think that Tom is not afraid to ask tough questions, but more importantly, his goal is to ask the right questions,' Frucci said of the anchor's approach.
In Iowa, Llamas pressed Hinson on her request that supporters help cover gas costs for her campaign bus, as well as her positions on Russia and Iran, according to Mediaite's report.
Last week, the anchor traveled to Michigan for interviews with Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers. His exchange with El-Sayed drew national headlines after Llamas confronted the Democratic candidate with resurfaced social media posts from a half-sister that appeared to contradict his statement on Meet the Press that neither he nor his family had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
'Are you serious?' El-Sayed fired back, before accusing Llamas of relying on 'hearsay evidence from a tweet' and demanding to know whether the anchor was suggesting he had lied.
'I don't know. That's why I'm asking,' Llamas responded.
Llamas also challenged Rogers in Michigan over his past support for President Donald Trump's conflict with Iran, which the Republican has tried to distance himself from.
Why a Network Newscast Still Matters in 2026
The Iowa and Michigan trips come as NBC Nightly News enjoys its strongest stretch in years. According to NBC, the program has recorded 37 consecutive weeks of year-over-year audience growth.
Llamas took over the anchor desk from Lester Holt in 2025, becoming only the latest face of a broadcast that first aired in 1970. Frucci credited the anchor's willingness to travel and talk directly with voters and officials for the momentum.
'The more they get to know Tom, the more they like Tom, the more they want to see more of Tom,' Frucci said.
Even as campaigns lean on podcasts, streaming shows, and social media to reach voters directly, Frucci argued the evening newscast remains one of the best platforms available to candidates.
'We get six to seven million viewers on Nightly News, and those viewers still matter,' he said. 'Campaigns do have other ways of reaching viewers,' he acknowledged, but he maintained that the program offers what he called a 'fair prism' for candidates to reach Americans.
What It Means for Iowa's Senate Race
The national attention arrives as Iowans are already casting early ballots. A network broadcast featuring interviews with both Hinson and Turek, alongside segments with Iowa farmers and voters at early voting locations, gives the state outsized influence in the broader midterm conversation.
Both campaigns now have a high-stakes opportunity to make their case beyond the state's borders, with the Hawkeye State's Senate seat treated as one of the races that will determine control of the chamber.
For Frucci, the formula is simple: find out what voters in each state are thinking, then ask the candidates about it directly.
'What is it that viewers need to understand about the candidate? What are the issues across voters' minds right now?' he said.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which Iowa Senate candidates did Tom Llamas interview?
Llamas interviewed Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek during an October 2026 reporting trip to Iowa, according to Mediaite.
Why did NBC Nightly News come to Iowa?
Executive producer Matt Frucci told Mediaite the network is interviewing both major-party candidates in the country's most competitive Senate races, and Iowa's contest qualifies as one of them.
How are NBC Nightly News ratings trending?
According to NBC, the program has posted 37 consecutive weeks of year-over-year audience growth, anchored by Tom Llamas since 2025.