IA-SEN: Democratic U.S. Senate candidates Zach Wahls, Josh Turek tout new endorsements
Iowa Sen. Zach Wahls and Rep. Josh Turek, candidates competing to become Iowa’s Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate seat in 2026, announced new endorsements in the race Tuesday.
One of the endorsements for Wahls’ campaign came from the Democratic Mayor-elect of Council Bluffs. Jill Shudak, a Council Bluffs city council member serving her first term, defeated incumbent Mayor Matt Walsh, a Republican, in the Nov. 4 election.
Walsh was a longtime fixture in Council Bluffs politics, having served three terms as mayor and was previously on the city council since 1996. In recent election cycles, Council Bluffs has tended to support Republicans, voting for President Donald Trump and U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra in the 2024 election.
But Shudak beat the odds in the 2025 election, winning by 117 votes, according to the Iowa Secretary of State’s office. In a news conference announcing the endorsement Tuesday, Wahls said he was proud to have supported her mayoral campaign, linking her priorities in the local race with his own goals running for the U.S. Senate seat.
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/11/18/democratic-u-s-senate-candidates-zach-wahls-josh-turek-tout-new-endorsements/