Hey folks,
I went live with Josh Turek on Tuesday—Democratic Senate candidate in Iowa—and I’ve got to tell you, this race is real. Iowa isn’t some lost cause. It’s not some deep-red fantasyland. It’s a state that voted for Obama twice. A state that’s hurting. A state that feels hollowed out. And Josh is running straight at that pain with prairie populism and zero corporate PAC money. This one felt like 2007 all over again. Organizing. Steak fries. Council Bluffs. Real conversations.
Here’s what we got into:
[00:01:10] Josh gives his two-minute “State of the Union”—and it’s about the soul of Iowa. Second Gilded Age. Two Americas. Workers getting squeezed while billionaires cash in.
[00:03:26] Why Iowa is absolutely in play: dead last in economic growth, farm foreclosures surging, healthcare collapsing—and Trump signs literally coming down across the state.
[00:06:41] What he’s hearing from Obama–Trump voters: “I’ve had enough.” Not about party. About corruption, healthcare cuts, and democracy itself.
[00:09:42] The party ID debate—why Josh is proudly running as a Democrat and making the case for prairie populism, affordability, and kitchen table economics.
[00:14:59] No corporate PAC money. Period. We talk Citizens United, corruption in Des Moines and D.C., and why you can’t have oligarchy and democracy at the same time.
Iowa is roughly R+10. The generic ballot right now is D+10. That makes it a toss-up in the right environment—with the right candidate. Open Senate seat. Open governor’s race. Two open House seats. And according to Josh, their first independent poll has him tied. If you care about flipping the Senate. If you care about rebuilding a Democratic Party rooted in working-class fight. If you believe the Midwest is still winnable—it starts with candidates like this. Help me keep having these conversations. Help us spotlight the races that can actually decide the majority.
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With urgency,
—Mike
