NRSC ad falsely claims Turek wants to tax Social Security

A completely false ad from the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) claims that Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek wants to tax Social Security benefits.

Turek is running for U.S. Senate against Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson. It is widely regarded as one of the competitive races of 2026.

The claim appears to stem from Turek’s opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), which temporarily eliminated Social Security taxes for some beneficiaries. The law also includes a $1 trillion cut to Medicaid that will force more than 100,000 Iowans to lose their health insurance.

Turek has been clear that he opposed the law because of its Medicaid cuts. He had endorsed other proposals to eliminate federal taxes on Social Security income, as well as on overtime pay and tips.

Hinson voted for OBBB and praised it as a “commonsense, conservative agenda.” It has since been reported that three Iowa hospitals that depend on Medicaid reimbursements to operate are now at risk of closure because of the law.

This is not the first time Republicans have attacked Turek with false or misleading claims. An earlier NRSC ad suggested his opposition to OBBB implied he supported Medicaid benefits for undocumented immigrants. Federal law barred undocumented people from enrolling in Medicaid before OBBB existed.

An Emerson College poll from August showed Hinson narrowly leading Turek by three percentage points.