Polling Average
50%40%30%20%10%0%
35.4%
37.6%
Iowa Democratic Senate nominee?
$106.1K
JUN 9, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Overview
Current roleState Senator
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
Age34 years old (Jul 15, 1991)
GenderMale
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LocationIowa
BackgroundPolitician
EducationUniversity of Iowa (interdisciplinary degree program; Sustainability Studies focus)
Notable personal detailsZach Wahls is an American politician and Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Iowa in 2026. He has served in the Iowa Senate (first elected in 2018) and was Iowa Senate Minority Leader from 2020 to 2023. Wahls first gained national attention in 2011 after testifying to the Iowa House Judiciary Committee about being raised by two mothers. He attended the University of Iowa and was named a Truman Scholar in 2013.
SourcesShowHide
fec.govzachwahls.comen.wikipedia.orgnow.uiowa.eduiowapublicradio.orgnotus.orgkcrg.comtheatlantic.compredictionedge.comiowacapitaldispatch.comapnews.comtime.comreddit.comradioiowa.compbs.orgthegazette.comlittlevillagemag.comwashingtonblade.comkcci.comtimesrepublican.comlgbtqnation.comyahoo.comcrestonnews.comnationofchange.orgcongress.govjacobin.comforbes.comwesterniowatoday.comtranscripts.cnn.comcbsnews.comaxios.comabcnews.go.comwikidata.orgballotready.orgsenate.govjustfacts.votesmart.orgdocquery.fec.govnunn.house.govoversightdemocrats.house.gov
Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports tax relief targeted to middle-class families while opposing tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, and advocates investing public funds in education, workforce training, child care, and other public services. Pledges to reduce the influence of corporate money in politics and prioritize spending on community investments rather than corporate tax giveaways.
Healthcare
Supports lowering the Medicare eligibility age, strengthening the Affordable Care Act to reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs, taking on pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices, and making major investments in mental health services, especially in rural areas.
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Immigration & Border
Supports securing the border and strengthening enforcement capacity while also backing reforms to asylum processing and creating earned legal status (a pathway for long-term residents). Advocates hiring more Border Patrol agents and immigration judges, enforcing employer verification, and deporting noncitizens who pose public-safety threats. Endorsed the bipartisan Border Act of 2024 as part of a broader reform approach.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
The candidate supports protecting and expanding abortion and reproductive health access, including proposing a constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights and introducing bills to safeguard contraception and IVF access. He has opposed strict bans such as a six-week abortion ban and has framed reproductive decisions as private medical matters that government should not control.
Climate & Energy
Supports renewable energy development and expansion of wind and solar in Iowa, and backs policies to promote clean energy as an economic and rural jobs strategy. Emphasizes investment in renewables and clean-energy development but does not advance Green New Deal–style language or an explicit rapid fossil-fuel phase-out in cited materials.
Public Safety & Guns
Supports expanded background checks (including closing private-sale/gun-show loopholes) and maintaining permit-to-acquire requirements while identifying as a gun owner who respects the Second Amendment; has opposed permitless/constitutional-carry changes and sponsored police de-escalation training measures.
News
AINews Summary
Last updatedJun 3, 2026
Zach Wahls lost the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 2026 U.S. Senate race to state Rep. Josh Turek. The primary had been a close contest between the two Democrats, with both making final appeals to voters in the days before the vote. Wahls had been seeking the party’s nomination for the open Senate seat now held by retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst.
fec.gov+38
Articles
TAThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution8 hours ago
Democrat Josh Turek and GOP's Ashley Hinson to compete for pivotal US Senate seat in Iowa
Negative
TAThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution10 hours ago
Iowa state lawmaker Josh Turek wins Democratic nomination for US Senate
Negative
TNThe New York Times13 hours ago
Josh Turek and Zachary Wahls Make Final Pitches in Senate Primary
Neutral
WWIS102 days ago
Final push for candidates before Iowa primaries
Neutral
Polls
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2026Total raisedCash on hand
$3.7M
$2.8M
$1.8M
$917.8K
$0
2026
LatestYear
Total raised
Cash on hand
Total spent
Burn rate
Cycle 2026
$3.7M
$701.0K
$3.0M
$174.7K
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Endorsements