Nathan Sage drops out of US Senate race, endorses Turek

Nathan Sage dropped out of the Democratic primary for Iowa’s US Senate race, endorsing Josh Turek. This reshapes the 2026 Democratic primary as Turek and Zach Wahls duke it out to take on Republican establishment pick Ashley Hinson for the open seat.

Nathan Sage, the Marine and Army veteran who was the first Democrat to enter Iowa’s 2026 US Senate race, suspended his campaign Saturday, citing the grim reality of fundraising as an upstart candidate.

“In today’s political environment, it takes extraordinary sums of money to compete, to communicate, to travel the state, and ensure our message reaches voters,” Sage said in an announcement video. “Too often the system favors those with wealth, power, connections, and established influence.”

Sage, who previously served as executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, announced that his campaign couldn’t raise the financial resources necessary to remain viable in the expensive race to replace retiring Republican US Sen. Joni Ernst.

On Monday, Sage endorsed state Rep. Josh Turek, praising him as a fellow working-class candidate. 

“Washington is made up of 98% generational wealth, only 2% come from the working class,” Sage said, adding that he’s supporting Turek because “he comes from the same kind of working class family I do.”

Sage’s exit narrows the Democratic primary field to two main contenders: Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls. The two Democrats present contrasting profiles for the party’s nomination.

Turek is a two-term state representative from Council Bluffs. After winning gold medals at the Paralympics, he won election to the Iowa House in 2022 by a six-vote margin after a recount. In 2024, he won reelection by a 5% margin against his Republican challenger. That year, Turek outperformed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by 13 percentage points, a figure his campaign cites as proof of his crossover appeal. 

Turek has been collecting endorsements, including from a long list of Iowa legislators and former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller. According toIn the recent year-end fundraising report, Turek raised $678,000 in the fourth quarter of 2025 and ended with $400,000 on hand. 

Wahls is a two-term state senator from Coralville. He is best known for his 2011 testimony to the Iowa Legislature in support of his two mothers and their marriage. His campaign has secured endorsements from many trade organizations, including the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Building and Construction Trades Council and Plumbers & Pipefitters UA Local 125. He has also been endorsed by former Democratic nominee for governor, Fred Hubbell, and his wife Charlotte Hubbell. 

Wahls represents a much safer Democratic seat than Turek, but Wahls also out-raised him, according to his year-end report. Wahls reported raising $742,000 in Q4 of 2025, with $733,481 on hand. 

Over in the Republican primary, US Sen. Joni Ernst is not seeking reelection, opening the field to challengers. US Rep. Ashley Hinson quickly threw her hat in the race, securing an endorsement both from Ernst and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds. She is also receiving help from anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which has invested heavily in the state in hopes of maintaining Republican leadership. According to her year-end FEC filing, the Hinson campaign raised $1.7 million over the final three months of 2025, with $5.2 million on hand. 

The other major Republican in the race is Jim Carlin, a trial lawyer from Sioux City. He took swings at Hinson’s “scripted” entrance into the race, saying Iowa voters don’t need a “handpicked candidate.” Carlin served in both chambers of the Iowa Legislature before unsuccessfully primarying US Sen. Chuck Grassley in 2022. Carlin raised $36,000 this past quarter and has $32,000 on hand.

The primary election will take place on June 2. 

Given President Donald Trump’s unpopularity and Iowa’s hardpressed economy, the midterms could favor Democrats in races like this. However, Iowa has trended increasingly Republican in recent years, with Trump winning the state by 13 percentage points in 2024. 

Election forecasters are consistent in assessing the seat as Republicans’ to lose. The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates Iowa’s open US Senate race as “Likely R.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates Iowa as “Likely R.” Inside Elections rates the race as “Likely Republican.” 

The general election will be November 3.