Iowa Rep. Josh Turek has won the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in his race against state Sen. Zach Wahls, the Associate Press projected Tuesday.

The race for the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat brought national attention over the past year after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek reelection. While other Democrats like Rep. J.D. Scholten and Democrat Nathan Sage also had campaigned to become the nominee, Wahls and Turek’s campaigns were the only two to make it to the June 2 primary ballot.

Turek is expected to speak in Des Moines at an Iowa Democratic Party event Tuesday evening.

Though the two Democrats, both serving in the Iowa Legislature, share positions on many issues, the candidates sought to distinguish themselves through debates and endorsements in the months leading up to the primary. Wahls, who was positioned as a more progressive candidate, campaigned alongside national political figures like U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and criticized Turek for getting support from the VoteVets super PAC, an organization affiliated with Senate Democratic leadership and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

Turek pitched himself as a more moderate candidate, pointing to his 2024 state legislative race victory and saying he represented “reddest district” won by a Democrat in the 2024 general election in debates as well as his support from former U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, the Democrat who held the seat before Ernst. While Turek has not made statements on Wahls’ campaign finance records, a person who made posts in support of Turek’s campaign filed a complaint — which was ultimately dismissed — with the Iowa Senate Ethics Committee over the Coralville Democrat’s work for the Next 50 Network.

Though some national Democrats have expressed optimism about a Democratic candidate’s chances in the 2026 election, many political forecasters predict Republicans are “likely” to retain control of the seat. Much of this prediction is based on the campaign of U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican currently representing Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House, who quickly gained support from President Donald Trump, Ernst and other Iowa and D.C. Republican leaders after launching her campaign.

Hinson also faced a primary challenger: Jim Carlin, 63, a former state lawmaker. Hinson won the race to become the GOP Senate nominee Tuesday, according to preliminary results reported by the AP. Quickly after the race was called, Hinson’s campaign issued a news release criticizing Turek’s record on immigration and reversing tax cuts made by Republicans in Congress. The Republican’s news release also linked Turek’s campaign with funding from with Democratic groups affiliated with Schumer.

“In Washington, Turek would be a rubber stamp for the radical leftists who bankrolled his campaign,” the news release stated. “His values might fit in great in New York City with Chuck Schumer, but his liberal record won’t fly here in Iowa.”