Trump-endorsed Hinson secures Iowa Senate nomination as Democrats eye GOP seat

Hinson, a former TV news anchor who is in her third term representing Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, defeated former state senator and former U.S. Senate candidate Jim Carlin in the GOP Senate primary, The Associated Press reported.

The Republican-controlled seat in Iowa is a top target for Democrats, and the race is one of about a dozen crucial showdowns in this year's midterm elections that will determine whether the Republicans hold on to their current 53-47 majority in the chamber.

"It has been working Iowans from all 99 counties - and I've visited every single one of them - who powered this campaign and delivered a resounding victory tonight," Hinson said in a statement released moments after her race was called.

And she emphasized, "We're going to continue fighting every day to make life more affordable for Iowa families, to take on Big Pharma and Big Health Insurance, and to root out corruption in Washington by banning Members of Congress and their spouses from trading stocks and participating in prediction markets."

But Democrats are energized heading into the midterms, when the GOP as the party in power will face traditional headwinds, a challenging political climate thanks to persistent inflation and sky-high gas prices due to what polls show is an unpopular war with Iran and Trump's sinking approval ratings.

Hinson will face off in the general election against state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian. Turek defeated state Sen. Zach Wahls in an expensive and contentious Democratic Senate primary.

"Josh Turek is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who has represented his country on the world stage and has built a reputation in the legislature for working across the aisle to get things done for Iowans," Schumer and Gillibrand said in a statement. "His nomination tonight puts the Iowa Senate seat firmly in play, and in November, Iowans will reject Ashley Hinson's self-serving politics and send Josh Turek to the U.S. Senate."

But National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) Regional Press Secretary Samantha Cantrell said that "Chuck Schumer spent $10 million dollars to coronate Josh Turek as his rubber stamp for Democrats' radical tax-and-spend agenda. In November, Iowans will reject him and elect Ashley Hinson to keep fighting for Iowa families, farmers, and workers."

And the NRSC quickly went up with a digital ad targeting Turek for what Republicans argued is his "radical agenda."

Ernst grabbed plenty of national attention in that campaign with her "make 'em squeal" ads as she won the high-profile Senate election to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

Fox News' Sally Persons contributed to this report.