Josh Turek never served in the military. But the military shaped his life before he was born. Turek’s father served in Vietnam, where he was exposed to Agent Orange, the chemical defoliant that the U.S. sprayed across millions of acres of Vietnamese jungle. Turek was born with spina bifida, a condition linked to Agent Orange exposure, and has used a wheelchair his entire life.

That story is now at the center of VoteVets’ $825,000 ad buy in the Iowa Democratic Senate primary. The statewide television and social media campaign introduces Turek as a “fighter for working families” and highlights how his disability is a direct consequence of his father’s military service. It’s the first known super PAC involvement in the Democratic primary for Iowa’s open Senate seat, and it immediately altered the financial dynamics of the race.

“Josh Turek is a fighter who knows firsthand the costs military families experience when our sons and daughters are sent to war,” VoteVets said in its announcement. The organization typically endorses combat veterans. Backing Turek represents a broader definition of who carries the burden of service.

When Alpha Democrat profiled Nathan Sage last year, the Marine and Army veteran was the first Democrat to enter the Iowa Senate race. He ran as a blunt, blue-collar outsider. “A tattooed, hairy, fat guy who says it how it is,” he described himself at a Cedar Rapids campaign event.

But fundraising proved insurmountable. Sage suspended his campaign on 16 February and endorsed Turek. His reasoning was revealing. After meeting with both remaining candidates, Sage said Turek was genuine and direct while Wahls felt “artificial” and like “a career politician.”

One moment from their relationship says a lot about Turek. During a recent meeting, Sage and Turek climbed to the top of the inside of the Iowa Capitol dome. Turek, who has used a wheelchair since birth, hand-walked his way up roughly 130 winding steps. He’d never done it before. That kind of physical determination mirrors Turek’s political approach: meet people where they are, do it the hard way, don’t ask for shortcuts.

“I am supporting Josh because he comes from the same kind of working class family I do, and it’s time we have more folks like us in Washington,” Sage said. For a veteran who had built his entire candidacy around authenticity, the endorsement carried weight. And it narrowed the primary to a clean two-person race that has drawn national attention.

Iowa has trended sharply Republican. Trump carried the state by 8 points in 2020 and 13 points in 2024. Republicans hold every statewide executive office except the state auditor’s. Winning here as a Democrat requires a specific kind of candidate.

Turek’s pitch is built on crossover appeal. He won his Iowa House seat in 2022 by six votes after a recount, then won reelection in 2024 by 5 points. His campaign highlights that he outperformed the Democratic presidential nominee by 13 points in his district. He’s a four-time Paralympian who won gold medals in wheelchair basketball in 2016 and 2020. And he carries a working-class identity that fits the “Rugged Guys” profile that Democratic strategists have embraced for 2026.

Wahls brings a different profile. He’s best known for a 2011 viral video in which he testified before the Iowa Legislature in support of his two mothers’ marriage. He served as Senate Minority Leader and has strong labor endorsements. His fundraising has been stronger, with $733,481 on hand at year’s end compared to Turek’s roughly $400,000.

However, Turek’s camp sees the VoteVets investment as a game-changer. The $825,000 ad buy is roughly twice what Turek had in the bank, and it comes with the organizational muscle of a PAC that knows how to win competitive races. Meanwhile, Republicans appear to prefer Wahls as their opponent. “Let’s just say I think Zach Wahls seems to be running away with it right now,” likely GOP nominee Ashley Hinson told reporters. Turek’s response? “That may show who they prefer to run against.”

What makes Iowa unusual in 2026 is the sheer scope of opportunity. Both Senator Ernst and Governor Kim Reynolds decided not to seek reelection. It’s the first time since 1968 that both offices are open on the same ballot. Democrats see a chance to flip multiple congressional seats alongside the Senate race and governor’s mansion.

“I think we are going to be the center of the political universe here in 2026,” Turek has said. “There’s no other state where you’re looking at being able to flip three of the four congressional seats, flip the Senate seat, and flip this Governor’s race.” That may be optimistic for a state this red, but the combination of open seats and a midterm environment that historically punishes the president’s party creates genuine opportunities.

For VoteVets’ broader 2026 strategy, Iowa represents a test case. Can a candidate who embodies the multigenerational cost of military service win in a state that Trump carried by double digits? If Turek can first beat Wahls in June and then give Hinson a real fight in November, it proves that the veteran-adjacent candidate model works beyond safe blue territory.

If VoteVets’ investment pays off, it establishes a precedent. Military families, Gold Star families, and individuals whose lives were directly shaped by war could become part of the organization’s candidate pipeline. That’s a significant expansion from a PAC that has historically focused on candidates with DD-214s.

The Iran war adds another dimension. Turek’s father served in a conflict whose toxic legacy affected the next generation. Now, as the U.S. engages in another Middle East war, the question of who pays the long-term cost of military action is more relevant than ever. VoteVets has been among the loudest organizational voices opposing the Iran conflict, and backing a candidate who literally embodies the generational consequences of war gives their message added force.

Iowa’s June 2 primary will be the first real test. The general election, if Turek gets there, would be one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country. Democrats need to flip four Republican-held seats to take back the Senate majority, and Iowa is on that target list alongside Maine, North Carolina, and Texas.

Either way, VoteVets is betting that the definition of a “veteran candidate” is bigger than a service record. For Josh Turek, it’s written into his body.