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Josh Turek

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Josh Turek
Official portrait, 2023
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the 20th district
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 9, 2023
Preceded byRay Sorensen (redistricted)
Personal details
BornJoshua Mark Turek
(1979-04-12) April 12, 1979 (age 47)
Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
Spouse
Jarolin Turek
​
(m. 2018)​
RelativesJohn Turek (brother)
EducationSouthwest Minnesota State University (BA)
DeVry University (MBA)
WebsiteHouse website
Campaign website
Sports career
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
SportWheelchair basketball
DisabilitySpina bifida
3.5
Coached byRon Lykins
Medal record
Men's wheelchair basketball
Representing the  United States
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de JaneiroTeam
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoTeam
Bronze medal – third place2012 LondonTeam
World Championship
Silver medal – second place2014 IncheonTeam
Parapan American Games
Gold medal – first place2011 GuadalajaraTeam
Gold medal – first place2015 TorontoTeam
Gold medal – first place2019 LimaTeam
Josh Turek's voice
Turek on the similarities between public service and the Paralympics
Recorded March 11, 2026

Joshua Mark Turek[1] (born April 12, 1979) is an American politician and wheelchair basketball player serving as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 20th district. He is the Democratic nominee in the 2026 United States Senate election in Iowa.[2]

Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Turek played wheelchair basketball for Southwest Minnesota State University and professionally in Europe, and competed with the United States men's national wheelchair basketball team, winning gold medals at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Turek is a self-described "prairie populist" and a moderate Democrat.[3][4] Turek was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2022, and reelected in 2024, in a district that strongly supported Donald Trump.

Early life and education

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Turek was born on April 12, 1979, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[1] His father, John Turek, served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War[5] and was a vocational school administrator. His mother, Luellen, was a social worker and community college instructor.[6] The family's first child, a girl, drowned in a pool as a toddler.[7] The couple's third child, Joshua, grew up with three sisters and a brother.[7][8]

Born with spina bifida, Turek underwent multiple surgeries as a child to improve mobility and has used a wheelchair since childhood.[6] He has linked his spinal condition to his father's exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.[9] In seventh grade, he began playing wheelchair basketball.[10][11]

Turek is a graduate of Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs.[12] In 2002, he earned a bachelor's degree in history from Southwest Minnesota State University.[1] He later earned a Master of Business Administration from DeVry University.[1]

Athletic career

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From 1997 to 2002, Turek played wheelchair basketball at Southwest Minnesota State University, where he set school career records with 4,024 points and 1,213 rebounds.[13] He was a four-time National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) All-American and was inducted into the NWBA's Hall of Fame in 2023.[13][14][15]

After graduating, Turek began playing professionally in Europe. He played for clubs in Italy, France, and Spain for nearly two decades, including Bidaideak Bilbao BS in the Spanish Wheelchair Basketball League.[16]

Turek was a member of the United States men's national wheelchair basketball team, coached by Ron Lykins.[17] He helped the United States qualify for the 2020 Summer Paralympics at the 2019 Parapan American Games, where he led the team with 18 points in a 67–36 win over Argentina.[18]

In four Paralympic appearances beginning with the 2004 Games in Athens, Turek won a bronze medal at the 2012 Games in London, a gold medal at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, and a gold medal at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. He also won a silver medal at the 2014 Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Incheon.[19]

After his basketball career, Turek worked for NuMotion, a provider of mobility equipment, where he helped fit patients for wheelchairs and dealt with insurance coverage for the equipment. He became concerned about insurance denials and delays affecting people with disabilities and, after learning that Iowa had never had a permanently physically disabled legislator, decided to run for the Iowa House.[20]

Iowa House of Representatives

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Elections

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In March 2022, Turek announced he was running for Iowa's 20th House of Representatives district.[21] After a recount requested by his Republican opponent, Sarah Abdouch, it was confirmed Turek won the election by six votes.[22][23] He was reelected in 2024, defeating Republican nominee James Wassell with 52.5% of the vote to Wassell's 47.5%.[24] The district has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1968.[25]

Tenure

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Turek took office on January 9, 2023.[26] He is the Iowa legislature's first permanently disabled member.[26] He said he planned to focus on disability-related issues.[26] He led a push for the "Work without Worry" program, bipartisan legislation that removed Medicaid income limits for employed Iowans with disabilities.[27]

In 2024, Turek introduced legislation to remove prescription and in-person doctor-visit requirements for Medicaid reimbursement of wheelchair repairs, arguing that the requirements unnecessarily delayed repairs for people with disabilities. The legislation stalled in the state senate, but the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services removed the requirements administratively that year.[28]

Turek co-sponsored a right-to-repair bill that passed the Iowa House in 2026 but did not advance to the state senate.[29]

Committee assignments

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In the Iowa House, Turek serves on the Health and Human Services Committee and the Health Policy Oversight Committee. He previously served on the Environmental Protection and Natural Resources committees. He was ranking member of the Veterans Affair Committee and Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.[12][30]

2026 U.S. Senate campaign

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On August 12, 2025, Turek announced his candidacy for the U.S. Senate.[31] He defeated State Senator Zach Wahls in the Democratic primary.[25] Turek faces the Republican nominee, U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, in the general election.[25]

Political positions

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Turek has called himself a "common-sense" moderate Democrat and a "prairie populist".[32][2]

Health care

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Turek supports a public health insurance option.[33] He supports restoring Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.[33] He opposes cuts to Medicaid.[33][34] He has said he would reverse the Medicaid spending cuts passed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.[33][34] He supports restoring the abortion protections that Roe v. Wade previously provided, by passing a federal law.[33] He has said that Iowa's six-week abortion ban reduced OB-GYN services available in the state.[33]

Agriculture

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Turek supports federal right-to-repair legislation requiring manufacturers of agricultural equipment to make parts, tools, and diagnostic software available to farmers and independent repair shops. He has called for ending the Trump administration's tariffs, which he said have increased farmers' input costs and reduced export markets for agricultural products.[29] He also supports year-round E15 blended gasoline and mandatory country-of-origin labeling for agricultural products.[35]

Foreign policy

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On August 18, 2025, during the Gaza war hostage crisis, Turek said there should be limits to U.S. aid to Israel:[32] "The response at this point has been disproportionate, and I don't think that taxpayer dollars or United States support should be going toward the hurting or killing of children or civilians or certainly not impeding aid going into these areas."[32]

Turek has criticized the 2026 Iran war, in July calling it an "unnecessary war".[36]

Personal life

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Turek is married to Jarolin Turek.[12] They live in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[12] He met his wife in Spain while playing professional basketball,[16] and they married in 2018. His brother John and sister Elisha were also professional basketball players in Europe.[37]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 "Iowa State Rep. Josh Turek - Biography | LegiStorm". www.legistorm.com. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Turek, in announcing U.S. Senate run, says Iowans want a moderate Democrat". The Gazette. Retrieved August 28, 2025.
  3. ↑ Balk, Tim (June 3, 2026). "5 Things to Know About the Iowa Senate Candidate Josh Turek" – via NYTimes.
  4. ↑ Zeleny, Jeff (May 30, 2026). "A Paralympian and 'prairie populist': How this Iowa Senate candidate is trying to spark a rural revival for Democrats | CNN Politics". CNN.
  5. ↑ Fink, Jenni (June 2, 2026). "Josh Turek's Chances of Beating Ashley Hinson, According to Polls". Newsweek.
  6. 1 2 Rapids, Michael KruseMichael Kruse reported from Cedar; City, Iowa; Bettendorf; Moines, Des; Bluffs, Council; Iowa; Omaha. (June 1, 2026). "Iowa Democrats Seek an Outsider in an Anti-Establishment Year". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Kruse, Michael; McGinnis, K. C. (September 4, 2026). "Can a 'Prairie Populist' Democrat Win a Senate Seat in Trump's Iowa?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  8. ↑ Burns, Douglas (November 29, 2023). "A pioneering Iowa Democrat: Don't tell Josh Turek what can't be done". Carroll Times Herald. Retrieved May 24, 2026.
  9. ↑ Baccari, Ray (August 26, 2026). "Senate candidate Josh Turek discusses cancer rates with survivors in Cedar Rapids". KGAN. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ Brummer, Sheila (August 13, 2025). "State lawmaker, Paralympian enters the growing field of U.S. Senate candidates". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved May 23, 2026.
  11. ↑ Burns, Douglas (March 5, 2024). "Iowa can tap into its disability community to fill workforce needs • Iowa Capital Dispatch". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Iowa Legislative Services Agency. "State Representative". www.legis.iowa.gov. Archived from the original on October 9, 2025. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  13. 1 2 "Josh Turek (2022) - SMSU Athletics Hall of Honor". SMSU Athletics. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  14. ↑ Committee, NWBA Hall of Fame (January 25, 2023). "Class of 2023 NWBA Hall of Fame Inductees Announced". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ Iowa, Charity Nebbe Rick Brewer Rick Brewer was a producer for IPR's Talk of; River, River to. "Josh Turek's long and bumpy road to becoming a two-time gold medalist". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Tate, Jim (July 9, 2021). "Paralympics: Going for the gold". Marshall Independent.
  17. ↑ Waller, Will (August 30, 2019). "USA Men Qualify for Tokyo and Advance to the Finals". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ Waller, Will (August 30, 2019). "USA Men Qualify for Tokyo and Advance to the Finals". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Wheelchair Basketball - Joshua Turek". Olympics.com. Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  20. ↑ Plasmier, Marge; Cooper, Chet (August 2026). "Josh Turek, Shooting for the U.S. Senate". Ability Magazine.
  21. ↑ Brownlee, Mike (March 10, 2022). "Turek announces run for Iowa House District 20". The Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  22. ↑ Golbitz, David (November 24, 2022). "District 20 recount confirms Turek victory by miniscule margin". The Daily Nonpareil. Retrieved November 24, 2022.
  23. ↑ "2022 Iowa State House - District 20 Election Results". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  24. ↑ "2024 IA State House General Election Results". The Des Moines Register. December 2, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2026.
  25. 1 2 3 Métraux, Julia. "The populist Paralympian who wants to roll into the Senate". Mother Jones. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  26. 1 2 3 "Meet Iowa Legislature's new, diverse lawmakers". The Des Moines Register. January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  27. ↑ Sostaric, Katarina (February 26, 2025). "Bill advances to help Iowans with disabilities 'work without worry'". Iowa Public Radio. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  28. ↑ "Capitol Notebook: Iowa Medicaid makes it easier to repair wheelchairs". The Gazette. August 13, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  29. 1 2 Warren, Isabella (July 6, 2026). "Iowa Senate candidate Josh Turek outlines farm policies, calls for right-to-repair and tariff relief". KTIV. Retrieved September 4, 2026.
  30. ↑ Iowa Legislative Services Agency. "Representative Josh Turek". www.legis.iowa.gov. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
  31. ↑ Opsahl, Robin (August 12, 2025). "Iowa Rep. Josh Turek, two-time Paralympian, launches campaign for U.S. Senate". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 "Democrats Turek, Scholten team up to build campaign momentum". The Gazette. August 19, 2025. Retrieved August 27, 2025.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gruber-Miller, Stephen (March 10, 2026). "Josh Turek hears rural health care concerns, pitches public option". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  34. 1 2 Robin, Opsahl (August 12, 2025). "Iowa Rep. Josh Turek, two-time Paralympian, launches campaign for U.S. Senate". Iowa Capital Dispatch. Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  35. ↑ Tallal, Skylar (July 7, 2026). "Josh Turek lays out agriculture priorities and fears 'second farm crisis'". KGAN. Retrieved September 22, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Trump's Iran trap". Politico Playbook. July 22, 2026. Retrieved July 24, 2026. Josh Turek has made the war a touchstone of his stump: "Everywhere I'm going—it doesn't matter, urban or rural areas—people are telling me they're struggling just to keep food on the table, a roof above their head, and now with this unnecessary war in Iran, we're looking at being able to afford gas," he told Playbook.
  37. ↑ "Josh Turek". TeamUSA.org. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
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