Democratic Iowa State Rep. Josh Turek missed 261 votes in the state legislature between Jan. 12, 2026, and May 3, a rate of nearly 58% for that period, according to Fox News Digital. He defended his attendance record during a Tuesday night debate against Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat.
Hinson criticized Turek's absences while answering a question about rising cancer rates in Iowa. "You have to show up to vote for things like pediatric cancer research," she said, adding that she has invested in legislation to redirect resources to address the cancer crisis.
When the moderator asked Turek why he missed the votes, he stated that he has met with Iowans in all 99 counties and held hundreds of public forums. Turek noted that he maintained a 90% attendance record during his first three years in the legislature. He contrasted his activities with Hinson's, claiming she has not held a single in-person town hall since running for the U.S. Senate.
Hinson disputed the claim that she has avoided town halls. She stated that she has held more town halls than the percentage of time Turek showed up to work, citing his 42% attendance rate for the current year. Hinson argued that a worker who misses two out of every five days would be terminated rather than promoted, asserting her own 99% attendance record while running a statewide campaign. She claimed to rank in the top 20% of bipartisan lawmakers in Congress.
Turek responded by stating that Hinson missed 193 votes. A spokesperson for the Hinson campaign clarified that this figure represented her entire time in Congress, whereas Turek's 261 missed votes occurred only during the 2026 legislative session.
Billy Fuerst, communications director for the Hinson campaign, told Fox News Digital that Hinson has held 47 in-person town halls and more than 30 telephone town halls since being elected to Congress. Fuerst stated that Hinson has a 98.8% lifetime voting record. He further noted that while Hinson missed 16% of committee amendment votes during her congressional tenure, she was present for all final passage votes on the Appropriations Committee, totaling 70 bills since 2021.
Rep. Turek and his campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for comment.