Barack Obama Backs Democrat Josh Turek in High-Stakes Iowa Senate Race

Former President Barack Obama has officially thrown his support behind Iowa State Representative Josh Turek in the race to flip an open U.S. Senate seat, appearing in a campaign video where the two played a specialized game of wheelchair basketball.

The endorsement targets a key battleground in the Democratic Party’s effort to construct a viable path toward a Senate majority. Turek, a four-time Paralympic medalist who competed in wheelchair basketball for Team USA before entering state politics, is seeking the seat currently held by retiring two-term Republican Senator Joni Ernst.

Turek faces U.S. Representative Ashley Hinson, a Republican backed by Donald Trump. The race highlights contrasting strategies in a state that has trended increasingly conservative over the past decade. Trump carried Iowa by double digits in his last presidential run, and no Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in the state in more than ten years.

Despite the recent Republican dominant streak, national Democrats view the open seat as a competitive pick-up opportunity. Obama’s involvement draws directly on his own electoral history in the state, which served as the launching pad for his 2008 presidential bid when he won the Democratic caucuses before carrying Iowa in two consecutive general elections.

In the video, Obama and Turek substituted the traditional basketball shooting game of HORSE with “I-O-W-A.” Reflecting on his political roots, Obama recalled the grassroots energy of his early campaigns, stating that winning Iowa was his favorite experience in politics and noting the “magic about regular folks showing up.” Conceding defeat on the court to the Paralympic athlete, Obama added that he got “whooped” before telling voters, “Now the ball’s in your court, Iowa. Let’s make sure that we send Josh Turek to the United States Senate.”

The video represents part of a broader push by the former president to influence key congressional races ahead of the midterm elections. Obama previously made a campaign stop alongside Texas candidate James Talarico at a Texas taco shop in May, signaling early involvement in high-stakes contests monitored by U.S. Senate election observers.

Basketball has long been a fixture of Obama’s public profile, dating back to his presidency when he modified the White House tennis court to accommodate basketball games. He later oversaw the installation of a professional-grade court at his Presidential Center, where he recently hosted prominent athletes, including Iowa native and WNBA star Caitlin Clark.