Iowa Democrats’ silence on “Palestine” recognition already impacting Senate race
Matthew Foldi
Washington Reporter
September 23, 2025
While Republicans in Congress and in the Trump administration are unanimous in their condemnation of how several American allies recently moved to recognize the nonexistent country of “Palestine,” Democrats in a marquee open Senate race aren’t as quick to respond.
Both state Senator Zach Wahls and state Representative Josh Turek are Democrats vying for their party’s nomination to replace Sen. Joni Ernst (R., Iowa). Neither responded to request for comment from the Washington Reporter about the latest moves by America’s allies — which is particularly ironic given that the woman they’re running to replace has been one of the foremost voices on foreign policy in the Senate for years.
Republicans, for their part, are unsurprised by what they’ve called the Democrats’ silence.
“As we approach the second anniversary of the abhorrent October 7th attack on Israel, it should be easy for Democrats like Zach Wahls and Josh Turek to condemn Hamas’s violence and demand all the hostages be returned home,” Samantha Cantrell, a press secretary at the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), told the Reporter. “Sadly, today’s Democrat Party is more concerned about winning favor with their radical base. Ashley Hinson is working in lockstep with President Trump to support Israel, bring the hostages home, and restore American strength around the world.”
While Democrats are poised for a divisive primary in Iowa, Hinson has more or less cleared the GOP field for herself. Her campaign director, Addie Lavis, told the Reporter that “Zach Wahls’s silence says it all, he supports a Palestinian state. If he gets to the Senate he would embolden Hamas terrorists and abandon Israel and the Jewish community.”
Unlike both Wahls and Turek, Hinson immediately responded to the moves to recognize an illegitimate country. Hinson told the Reporter that “it’s unconscionable that countries would side with Hamas terrorists following the October 7th attacks and the ongoing atrocities they perpetuate in the Middle East.”
“Enabling terrorists will only lead to continued human suffering and dangerous extremist threats,” Hinson continued. “The United States, under President Trump, will continue to stand with Israel.”
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