PHOTO BY ROBIN OPSAHL/IOWA CAPITAL DISPATCH U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson pledged to be President Donald Trump’s ally in the U.S. Senate if elected to succeed U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst in 2026 during her campaign kickoff event in Cedar Rapids on Sep. 14, 2025.

The Senate Majority PAC is investing an additional $17 million in Iowa, with plans to roll out a fall ad campaign criticizing U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s voting record in Congress as she runs for U.S. Senate.

The Thursday announcement from the Senate Majority PAC, a super PAC supporting Senate Democrats and aligned with party leadership, builds on a $13.4 million television reservation made in May, before the primary elections when Hinson officially became the Republican nominee seeking to fill the seat left by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst in the 2026 general election. On the Democratic side, Iowa Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, defeated Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, to become the Democratic nominee for the seat.

Both television reservations are set to air in the fall. The PAC stated in a news release that the ad campaign will “focus on Ashley Hinson’s record of supporting legislation that raises prices on Iowa families,” specifically highlighting her vote for the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” Act that cut Medicaid funding, as well as support for President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and for continuing the war in Iran — though she has since called the war a “political liability.”

Senate Majority PAC spokesperson Lauren French said in a statement the ad investment is meant to highlight that Hinson has a track record of supporting her party, not Iowans’ interest in elected office.

“Ashley Hinson keeps voting with Washington instead of (Iowa), and families here are footing the bill with higher gas prices, higher costs at the grocery store, and Medicaid cuts that are already hitting (Iowans) across the state,” French said in a statement. “While Ashley continues to be a yes-man for the Washington establishment, Josh Turek is offering real change for Iowans fed up with business as usual.”

The PAC also highlighted that Majority Forward, its affiliated nonprofit, has began an ad campaign in Iowa with videos focused on votes Hinson took related to healthcare costs.

Hinson said in a statement, “I am proud to have cut taxes for hardworking Iowans. And I’ll be proud to stop Josh Turek from trying to raise them.”

Her campaign highlighted tax cuts made through the One Big Beautiful Bill, such as eliminating taxes on tips and overtime, as well as the healthcare investments made through the federal Rural Health Transformation Program, as ways she has supported lowering costs for Iowans. Hinson’s campaign also stated the representative has “secured over $36.7 million in federal funding for housing, rural health care, and infrastructure projects across Iowa” in fiscal year 2026.

Political forecasters like Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball still favor Hinson to win over Turek, but Democrats are hopeful their party’s candidates may have better chances than expected in the upcoming midterms. National election watchers particularly see the U.S. House races in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Districts, currently represented by Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Zach Nunn, and the now-open gubernatorial seat where State Auditor Rob Sand, a Democrat, takes on Republican nominee Zach Lahn, as races where Democrats have the potential to see victories.