In Iowa’s U.S. Senate race, fact-checking Ashley Hinson’s claim about Josh Turek’s voting record

Across advertisements and interviews, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, has repeatedly criticized Iowa Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, for missing a substantial number of Iowa House votes during the 2026 legislative session. 

“Josh Turek skipped 58% of the votes at the Statehouse this year,” Hinson said in one ad, posted Sept. 2 on Facebook. 

Hinson, who represents Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, is running against Turek for Iowa’s open U.S. Senate seat, currently held by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst. 

It’s accurate that Turek missed a substantial number of votes in the Iowa House this session. Some experts said they don’t consider the absences to be unusual for a candidate who is on the campaign trail, but they also noted that Turek’s number of absences still far outpaces others.  

Turek’s missed votes

Politifact Iowa did the math. According to the Iowa House Journals, of the 445 votes held on the House floor during the Jan. 12 to April 2 legislative session, Turek missed 261 — which is roughly 58%. The numbers align with findings from KCRG and KTIV. 

In a statement to PolitiFact Iowa, the Hinson campaign said, “The bottom line is that Josh Turek skips votes to support farmers, veterans, and rural communities but votes like a liberal when he does show up.” 

Kedron Bardwell, Simpson College professor of political science, told PolitiFact Iowa its analysis is accurate, based on the tracking of legislative votes.  

The number, though, only applies to House floor votes. It does not take committee or subcommittee votes into consideration. 

Turek had the second-most absences of any member in the Iowa House during the 2026 session. Only Rep. Jerome Amos Jr., D-Waterloo, missed more votes, according to KTIV. 

Bardwell said it is not uncommon for representatives to be absent on occasion, but the large volume of missed votes is what stands out in Turek’s case.

“Even going back a few years, there’s very few candidates that I can find that ran for higher office and missed as many [votes] as he did,” he said. 

Bardwell said his research of legislative votes this year shows the percentage of missed votes for representatives rarely exceeded 20 to 30% — a stark contrast to Turek’s figure, which is nearly double that. 

Jack Hunt, editor and publisher of the Iowa Legislative News Service who has 30 years of experience covering the Statehouse, said a large number of absences are not unexpected in this case. 

“Any legislator running for another office tends to miss days out at the Capitol,” Hunt said. 

Hunt said in Iowa, a bill doesn’t reach the floor unless the majority party expects it to pass, and he couldn’t recall a single instance this session when a bill was decided by a single vote. 

Because of this, Hunt said, in his opinion, floor votes are “simply performance,” and Turek’s absence is not as significant as his opponent says. 

“When I see the ads, ‘Oh, [Turek] missed 58% of the votes,’ my honest thought is ‘So what?’ Hunt said. “It’s probably absolutely true, and it is utterly meaningless.”

When contacted by PolitiFact Iowa , the Turek campaign said, “Josh Turek is one of Iowa’s most effective and bipartisan legislators, voting with Republicans more than 700 times to lower costs, cut taxes, and keep Iowans safe.”

Turek’s longer voting track record

The 58% figure stands out among Turek’s career voting record. As Iowa Capital Dispatch reported, Turek has had an 81% attendance record since taking office in January 2023, according to Legiscan data. 

In 2025, the Iowa House recorded 379 House floor votes. Turek missed 37, or 9.8%. 

In 2024 and 2023, Turek missed 12.2% and 5.4%  of votes, respectively. 

Our ruling

Hinson said Turek “skipped 58% of the votes at the Statehouse this year.” 

Of the 445 votes held on the House floor during the Jan. 12 to April 2 legislative session, Turek missed 261, or roughly 58%.

Some experts said absences aren’t unusual for someone campaigning, but they also noted that Turek’s number of absences still far outpaces others. 

We rate the statement True.