Josh Turek, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa, has taken over $20,000 in per diem payments while missing more than half of his 2026 votes, records reveal.
The records show that Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist and current state legislator, missed 261 of the chamber's votes from January 12 to May 3, accounting for nearly 60% of his votes.
The absences, some of which were clustered around campaign events, suggest Turek has struggled to balance his role as a legislator and candidate as he wages an uphill battle to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Turek has framed himself as a classic example of the American underdog story, having overcome being born paralyzed from the waist down to play basketball for the U.S. in the Paralympic Games, winning championships in 2016 and 2020.
As a candidate for Senate, Turek has pledged to defend the government programs that made his journey possible, including VA health coverage and free summer lunch programs.
However, records show that Turek has struggled to raise capital for his campaign, having accumulated $3.4 million from July 2025 through the end of May, according to FEC records.
The sum is on the lower end of campaign contributions for a campaign to flip an empty Senate seat, with some candidates raising significantly more money, including Sherrod Brown, a former U.S. senator trying to reclaim his seat in Ohio, who has raised nearly $26 million since last November.
Records show that Turek skipped critical votes to raise campaign cash across the country, while at the same time maxing out the daily $201 tax-free per diem that Iowa offers its legislators to cover costs of the job.
Turek's campaign spent $43,000 in donations from residents of Southern California between March 25 and March 31, and $36,500 from donors in Washington, D.C., between February 17 and March 23, during which time he missed multiple votes.
In response to an inquiry from Fox News Digital, Turek's campaign pointed out that the pattern isn't unique to him and that other candidates, including his Republican challenger, Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, also miss votes to fundraise.
However, Hinson's campaign responded by noting that she has a 98.8% lifetime voting record since her election to the House of Representatives in 2020, while also lambasting Turek's record.
Turek convincingly defeated Iowa Democratic Sen. Zach Wahls in the party primary earlier this month and will face off against Hinson in the state's Nov. 3 general election.
