Citing Commitment to Lower Cost of Caregiving, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC Endorses Josh Turek for U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC (CFFE PAC) announced its endorsement of State Representative Josh Turek in his bid to become the Hawkeye State’s next U.S. senator, a key pickup opportunity for Democrats in what will be one of the most closely watched races in the country.

This endorsement reflects CFFE PAC's commitment to electing candidates who will make life more affordable by tackling the crippling cost of caregiving through investments in affordable child and elder care and paid family and medical leave. Securing a Democratic Senate majority is an essential first step to passing these policies to reduce the cost of caregiving.

“Josh Turek knows that when the cost of caring for yourself or a loved one becomes too high, families are forced to make impossible choices—because his own family has lived that reality,” said Sondra Goldschein, Executive Director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC. “As his sister battles cancer, Josh has seen how even insured Iowans can be denied the care they need and face devastating financial barriers. Throughout his life and service in the Iowa Legislature, Josh has fought to lower costs and expand opportunity for working families. In the Senate, he'll build on that record by tackling the high cost of health care and caregiving so more Iowa families can get ahead.”

“I’m proud to have the endorsement of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC, which understands that Iowa families are working hard and still getting squeezed by the rising costs of health care, housing, groceries, and caregiving,” said Josh Turek. “My family knows firsthand how quickly a health crisis can become a financial one. No family should have to fight an insurance company or drain their savings to get the care they need. In the Senate, I’ll fight to lower health care and caregiving costs and make sure every Iowa family can get the care they need without putting their financial security at risk.”

In the Iowa House, Josh Turek worked to lower housing costs by sponsoring legislation to cut taxes for first-time homebuyers and bar private equity firms from buying up Iowa homes. He has also championed efforts to reduce long waiting lists for Medicaid home and community-based services and strengthen protections for nursing home residents. In the Senate, Turek will continue fighting to lower costs, create good-paying jobs, and ensure more Iowa families can get ahead.

In contrast, Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson has consistently supported policies that make it harder for Iowa families to stay afloat. Hinson voted for the Republican tax bill, which is expected to strip health coverage from 110,000 Iowans through Medicaid cuts and put food assistance at risk for 248,000 Iowans due to SNAP cuts. She has also backed Trump's trade wars that have increased the cost of everyday essentials and supported the war in Iran, driving up gas prices for Iowans. Instead of helping families get ahead, Hinson has repeatedly backed policies that raise costs while putting access to critical health care and nutrition at risk.

Across Iowa, families are struggling with the rising costs of housing, groceries, health care, and caregiving. More than half of Iowans say their ability to meet household financial needs has gotten worse in the past year and nearly 60% believe Congress could be doing more to lower the cost of living. These concerns underscore the need for leaders like Josh Turek, who will fight to expand economic opportunity, lower costs, and help working families get ahead.

Separate from its electoral work, CFFE PAC’s sister organization, the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy launched Affordable Iowa last year, focused on holding elected officials in Iowa accountable after they promised to stand with working families and lower costs but instead cast vote after vote that neglected the needs of their constituents. Affordable Iowa ran a major paid media campaign, elevating the stories of local families to urge officials to reverse course and focus on making life more affordable.

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The Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy PAC works to elect candidates who believe all people should be able to afford to care for themselves and their loved ones. Since 2015, we have run some of the largest electoral programs in battleground states to support candidates that are fighting for policies like paid family and medical leave and quality, affordable child care, elder care and health care. We know how to effectively communicate about high costs and the economy in the way people actually think about it – emphasizing who is committed to lowering costs, and who isn’t. We use this insight to reach voters at the scale needed to have an impact, building support for candidates up and down the ballot who are committed to lowering the cost of caregiving.