Iowa Democrat Josh Turek criticizes billionaires while accepting their donations
Tayte Christensen
Washington Reporter
August 17, 2026
… Turek’s recent campaign finance report shows he has received substantial funding from the billionaires he has criticized, including members of the Soros family, a friend of Jeffrey Epstein, several Hollywood stars, and liberal elites — a donor base that stands in contrast to the conservative Iowa electorate he seeks to represent.
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Jonathan and Jennifer Soros, the son and daughter-in-law of George Soros and Democratic Party megadonors in their own right, both gave the maximum $3,500 allowed for the primary election and another $3,500 for the general election on April 30 and May 25. The couple has maxed out their donations to other Democratic Senate candidates this year, including Roy Cooper in North Carolina, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D., Ga.), Maine’s disgraced candidate Graham Platner, and James Talarico in Texas.
Lobbyists have also contributed heavily to Turek’s campaign. Heather Podesta, a well-known Washington lobbyist, gave $2,000 to Turek’s campaign on April 29.
Billionaire venture capitalist John Doerr, worth $24 billion, gave $3,500 to Turek’s campaign during the latest quarter; Doerr, who gave $1.65 million to support Kamala Harris’ 2024 run for president. During the 2024 election, Trump beat Harris in Iowa by over 10 percent.
Turek’s fundraising reach also extends into the entertainment industry. Actress Sally Field, known for roles in “Forrest Gump” and “Steel Magnolias,” chipped in $500 on June 16. Nancy Stephens, who appeared in the original “Halloween” films, gave Turek several thousand dollars. And Mike Wolfe, host of the History Channel’s “American Pickers,” contributed $1,000 on May 22.
Media celebrities have supported the campaign, too: Veteran news anchor Connie Chung gave $2,000 on June 5, and Tommy Vietor, the former Obama aide turned “Pod Save America” host, donated $3,500 on June 2. During his time in the Obama administration, Vietor played a significant role in foreign policy decisions, including the Benghazi attack.
Vietor and his fellow “Pod Save America” hosts came under fire this month as they deleted a clip of their show that included a guest criticizing Hasan Piker, Fox News reported.
Turek’s team did not respond to a request for comment.
But his billionaire donor list fits a larger pattern playing out across several Senate races this year as many Democratic Party candidates have built campaigns around curbing billionaire influence on elections but have accepted funds from billionaires. Cooper, Ossoff, Talarico, and Platner all expressed their disapproval of billionaires in elections, yet accepted funding from them regardless.
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