A new Marist poll that released on Thursday shows that Republican Ashley Hinson is gaining on Democrat Josh Turek in the race for Iowa's U.S. Senate seat as President Donald Trump plans to visit the Hawkeye State next week.
Iowa is among this year's most competitive Senate races, as Turek and Hinson vie for the open seat left by retiring Republican Senator Joni Ernst. Polls continue to show a tight race between the two candidates after their first debate last week, where tariffs, immigration and voting records played a major role. A second debate was held on Tuesday night, where again the candidates sparred over Iran, tariffs and immigration.
The poll offers new insight into the close race only weeks from Election Day. While a September poll by Marist found Turek with an 8-point lead over Hinson, the gap has narrowed significantly between the two as Thursday's poll put Turek only 3 points ahead.
Newsweek reached out to the campaigns for Turek and Hinson via email for comment on Thursday.
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Trump Schedules Iowa Rallies: What We Know
Trump has planned two Iowa rallies in the coming weeks, aiming to boost Hinson's campaign against Turek. He has already endorsed Hinson, a U.S. Representative, for the Senate race.
The Iowa rallies are the most recent in a series of campaign stops Trump has made ahead of the fast-approaching midterms as Republicans fight to maintain their majority in the U.S. Senate amid several tight races, including in Alaska and Texas. Trump is set to visit Iowa on October 22 and November 1.
“I just got off the phone with President Trump," Republican Party of Iowa Chair Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement, according to a report by The Des Moines Register. "He told me that he will be in Iowa on October 22 and November 1. He is anxious for Iowans to hear his message before they vote. Stay tuned for further details."
Times and venues for the rallies have not been announced.
Ashley Hinson vs. Josh Turek: Latest Polls
Two new polls came out this week assessing the race between Hinson and Turek. The polls were conducted by YouGov and Marist.
The YouGov poll, which was held from October 6 to October 12, surveyed 2,245 likely voters and found that 47 percent planned to vote for Turek, giving him a 1-point lead over Hinson. According to the poll, 41 percent of respondents backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, compared with 52 percent who voted for Trump. Given Turek's edge, the results suggest he has won support from at least some voters who previously cast ballots for Trump.
The Marist poll released on Thursday was held from October 8 to October 11 and surveyed 1,100 likely voters. Turek also leads Hinson in this poll, by 3 points. However, his lead over Hinson is much narrower than the last Marist poll, released in September, which gave him an 8-point lead.
The study by Marist also showed improvement in Trump's approval ratings across Iowa. The September Marist poll showed that 41 percent of registered voters in Iowa approved of the job Trump was doing in office while 58 percent disapproved. A month later, 44 percent said they approved, while 53 percent disapproved.
Biggest Issues Facing Iowa Voters
Iowa voters are most concerned about the economy amid inflation and surging gas prices, according to a poll by The Economist that surveyed 650 likely voters on October 5 and October 6. The economy led top issues for voters, at 42 percent. It was followed by healthcare at 18 percent, threats to democracy at 10 percent and education at 8 percent.
This year's midterm elections could flip control of the House and Senate as Republican candidates work to overcome widespread American concerns tied to the economy, inflation, rising fuel costs and the Iran war. Although Iowa has voted Republican in the Senate elections since 2008, the state has also had a history of voting for presidential candidates from both political parties, making the current political environment a competitive one. Trump won Iowa the last three election cycles, but before that, former President Barack Obama won the state twice.
When Is Early Voting in Iowa?
Early voting began in Iowa on October 14 and will continue through November 2. The election is November 3.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kate Nalepinski and Edward T. Cummins