Iowa Democrat Josh Turek won't utter Trump's name but takes sly jab at Ashley Hinson's biggest asset: 'She plays the fiddle well'

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Churchill, V. (2026, October 15). Iowa Democrat Josh Turek won't utter Trump's name but takes sly jab at Ashley Hinson's biggest asset: 'She plays the fiddle well'. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16212905/Iowa-Democrat-Josh-Turek-Trump-Ashley-Hinson-biggest-asset.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Daily Mail · collected 2026-10-15 · by Victoria Churchill

Quick Summary

Iowa Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek is running a campaign focused on avoiding mention of former President Trump's name, even though he agrees with some of Trump’s policies. During a debate, when asked about his Republican opponent Ashley Hinson's strongest asset, Turek joked that she "plays the fiddle well," referring to her musical talent showcased at fundraisers. A recent poll shows Turek leading Hinson 48 percent to 45 percent, but nearly six in ten voters believe Hinson will win in November.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-15, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee for US Senate in Iowa, is avoiding mentioning Donald Trump's name during his campaign to appeal to voters. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail at the University of Northern Iowa, Turek discussed his Republican opponent Ashley Hinson by saying she "plays the fiddle well," referring to her musical talent showcased at fundraisers. Hinson's communications director responded that she is better known for beating liberals than just playing music. Turek sees his race as one of the closest Senate contests, which could be crucial in determining control of the chamber. Despite Trump’s popularity in Iowa where he won three times, Turek focuses on bipartisan issues and rarely mentions the president's name or discusses impeachment.

Written for “Josh Turek Slys Jabs At Ashley Hinson” on 2026-10-15, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted verbatim and was checked against the article text before being stored, so you can find it in the original.
Reading Leans left (beta estimate) Confidence high 1 quote(s) discarded as not found in the article
Leaning: leans left for article 83420 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-15

Story

📰 Josh Turek Slys Jabs At Ashley Hinson
Politics · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

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This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
CBS News
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 2 📰 publisher trust 66
“The articles describe different parts of the campaign with distinct events and timing.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
64/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-15 · how these are computed

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Daily Mail · 5738 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Victoria Churchill
30 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 He told supporters at the University of Northern Iowa on Thursday that he believes his race will be the tightest on the Senate map, potentially determinative in the battle for control of the chamber.
🔮 However, a US official said on Sunday that Trump and Rubio are 'extremely pissed off' by Guilfoyle's reported conduct and would likely decide on what action to take this week after Monday's Columbus Day holiday.
🔮 - Sign up HERE for the DC Insider Newsletter- our guide to what's rocking Washington, rattling the White House and setting tongues wagging on the Hill President Donald Trump would love to see Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman join the Republican Party.
🔮 Some were always expected to be nail-biters.
🔮 Iowa leans Republican, but Hinson could be negatively impacted by Democrat Rob Sand performing well in the gubernatorial race.
🔮 At a White House dinner in September, Trump laid a slew of backhanded compliments on Paxton, saying, 'you might not like the way he looks, you might not love his television interviews,' before praising him as the 'best attorney general' and adding 'that speaks a lot louder than the suit he's wearing that doesn't look so great.' Trump also said that Paxton 'can be a pain in the ass' during a visit to a truck plant in Denton, Texas last week. Still, at the Washington DC event last month, Paxton told lobbyists that messaging in a federal race often comes from others, leaving him stuck with decisions he cannot alter.
🔮 Democrats are projected to pick up at least 15 House seats and between one and five in the Senate, according to Cook Political Report analysis published last month.
🔮 Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf warned that the strait is set to remain closed until the US agrees to its terms.
🔮 'That I will go out with my family, my friends, I'll do it any way - I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try to cheat like hell like they do... and we are going to vote on November 3,' Trump added during his remarks last month.
🔮 In April, Raskin, now top Democrat on House Judiciary, said he could not 'both be a diplomat and a financial pawn of the Saudi monarchy at the same time.
Also by Victoria Churchill
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 30 articles by Victoria Churchill →

Topics

Democrat Iowa Republican Senate the Daily Mail

Subjects

Turek PERSON · 10× Iowa GPE · 9× Hinson PERSON · 7× Trump PERSON · 7× the Daily Mail ORG · 6× Republican NORP · 4× Josh Turek PERSON · 3× Senate ORG · 3× Democrat NORP · 2× the University of Northern Iowa ORG · 2×

Narrative

The Iowa Democrat also said in last week's debate that he has 'no interest' in looking at impeaching the president because 'we need to look forward, not back.' Iowa's Democratic nominee for the US Senate, Josh Turek, spoke with the Daily Mail during a stop at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls on Thursday Turek was at the University to meet with college students supporting his campaign After two spirited debates, one held in each of the last two weeks, the Daily Mail asked Turek what he thinks his Republican opponent Ashley Hinson's greatest asset is, to which he responded, 'she plays the fiddle well.' Hinson has long been known for her fiddle-playing, and she has frequently showcased her musical abilities at Republican fundraisers. In response to Turek, Hinson's communications director Billy Fuerst told the Daily Mail: 'She plays a mean fiddle, but she's even better at beating liberals like Josh Turek.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-15
🔮 He told supporters at the University of Northern Iowa on Thursday that he believes his race will be the tightest on the Senate map, potentially determinative in the battle for control of the chamber.

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

Iowa Democrat Josh Turek is locked in one of the tightest Senate races in the country, and he's employing a noticeable strategy for winning a state Donald Trump carried three times: keep the president's name out of his mouth. asserted
Trump → lock → mouth
Turek, who won his first race for the state legislature by six votes, is no stranger to tough elections. asserted
who → win → elections
He told supporters at the University of Northern Iowa on Thursday that he believes his race will be the tightest on the Senate map, potentially determinative in the battle for control of the chamber. asserted
race → tell → chamber
Despite Trump easily winning Iowa three times, Turek does not often mention the commander in chief's name. asserted
Turek → win → name
He didn't mention it at all in an interview with the Daily Mail Thursday despite being asked about Trump's win margins. asserted
He → mention → margins
In the first Iowa Senate debate last week, Turek mentioned Trump's name only twice, and both times he used it to highlight areas of common ground between the two. asserted
he → mention → two
As a Republican, Hinson mentions Trump more frequently, but is also unafraid to tout her bipartisan dealmaking as well, including a bill on maternal health that was signed into law by President Joe Biden. asserted
that → mention → Biden
Turek has previously said that he agrees 'with President Trump that we need to get private equity out of housing,' and even backed the need to 'ensure that every Iowan and every American has safe and secure borders and safe communities,' adding that he's 'willing to work with anyone, including President Trump, on this issue.' asserted
he → say → issue
The Iowa Democrat also said in last week's debate that he has 'no interest' in looking at impeaching the president because 'we need to look forward, not back.' Iowa's Democratic nominee for the US Senate, Josh Turek, spoke with the Daily Mail during a stop at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls on Thursday Turek was at the University to meet with college students supporting his campaign After two spirited debates, one held in each of the last two weeks, the Daily Mail asked Turek what he thinks his Republican opponent Ashley Hinson's greatest asset is, to which he responded, 'she plays the fiddle well.' Hinson has long been known for her fiddle-playing, and she has frequently showcased her musical abilities at Republican fundraisers. In response to Turek, Hinson's communications director Billy Fuerst told the Daily Mail: 'She plays a mean fiddle, but she's even better at beating liberals like Josh Turek. asserted
she → say → Turek
Iowa Republican US Senate candidate, Ashley Hinson plays the violin during her BBQ fundraiser at the Horizon Events Center on August 29, 2026 in Clive, Iowa A three-term Congresswoman, Hinson was found to be in a statistical dead heat with Turek. asserted
Hinson → play → Turek
A poll released by Marist University Wednesday found Turek leading his opponent 48 percent to 45 percent. asserted
Turek → release → opponent
However, 59 percent of likely statewide voters believed that Hinson would be elected in November. asserted
Hinson → believe → November
Turek told his supporters on Thursday in Cedar Falls that 'young people ... union workers, people in rural communities and farmers' would make the difference in his race. asserted
people → tell → race
Asked earlier this week by the Daily Mail what was making this year's races so competitive, Hinson shared that she always views Iowa as competitive and that she doesn't change the way she runs 'based on poll numbers,' always campaigning like she is 'ten points down.' asserted
she → ask → numbers
President Trump, who won Iowa by 13 percentage points in 2024, announced on Thursday two upcoming visits to the state, planned for October 22 and November 1. The Daily Mail asked Hinson's campaign if she is planning to appear at the rallies and did not immediately receive a response. asserted
she → win → response
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