Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson asked Iowa supporters for gas money to keep her campaign bus moving, a request Democrat Josh Turek called shameful amid soaring fuel costs.
At a Fort Dodge stop on her statewide bus tour, Hinson urged backers to turn frustration into concrete help for the race to replace retiring Sen. Joni Ernst.
She told the crowd to push past television attacks and put energy into votes, donations, and turnout in a contest that recent surveys show is razor-thin.
Newsweek reported the Wednesday appeal and Turek’s Friday response on X, which framed the ask as tone-deaf while drivers and farmers pay steep prices at the pump.
Hinson linked the request to what she called false ads against her campaign.
"Use that anger about these lies that they're telling about us on TV, cause if they're willing to lie about me, they're willing to lie about you,"
She continued with a direct call to action.
"So I want you to channel that into action in getting your friends out to vote, help give us a little gas money for our bus, make sure we're showing up at the polls, because there is more to do."
Turek posted that Hinson was “begging for gas money” as ordinary Iowans and farm operators struggle.
"Now she's begging for gas money while Iowans are struggling to fill up their tanks and Iowa farmers are struggling to afford the diesel to harvest their fields,"
He added a one-word verdict: “That's shameful.”
AAA figures cited for Saturday put Iowa’s average regular gasoline near $4.14 a gallon, up from about $2.72 a year earlier. Diesel averaged roughly $6.07, compared with about $3.43 the prior year. Nationally, gasoline stayed unusually high for the season while crude oil prices remained elevated.
Those numbers land hard in an agricultural state heading into a November election. Harvest-season diesel costs hit producers directly, and both campaigns have treated fuel prices as a central kitchen-table issue.
Turek tied the gas-money line to Hinson’s record on U.S. involvement in the Iran conflict. At the candidates’ final debate on Tuesday, he argued the fighting has helped drive higher gasoline, diesel, and farm-input costs. He accused her of voting seven times to continue the conflict, a charge rooted in her votes against resolutions aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to keep U.S. forces engaged.
Hinson defended those votes. She said the war needs to end with assurances Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon, and she expressed trust in the American military to meet that objective. She also said there is “more to do to drive down the cost of gas and groceries.”
On Russian energy, the two found common ground against a White House move to ease sanctions that affect Russian diesel imports. Hinson put her position plainly at the debate.
"We need to lower diesel prices, but I don't think we need to be making a deal with Russia to do it,"
Turek likewise rejected any path that would benefit Russian President Vladimir Putin. He floated temporary suspensions of federal and state gas taxes, a halt to diesel exports, and draws from the strategic oil reserves. Hinson has pointed to temporarily lowering the gas tax, a possible diesel rebate for agricultural producers, broader use of American biofuels, and support for pausing fuel taxes.
Iowa State University political science professor Karen Kedrowski previously noted to Newsweek that Hinson’s break with Trump over Russian diesel stood out in a farm state where diesel prices matter to rural voters. Colleague Steffen W. Schmidt warned that fuel attacks could move the needle in a close race.
"In a contest that's this tight and close, I would not be surprised to see Turek catch up with and pass Hinson, especially since he effectively connected her to wealthy Americans and Trump-related gas and diesel price hikes,"
Recent surveys underline how competitive the open seat has become. A Marist Poll conducted October 8, 11 found Turek at 48% and Hinson at 45% among likely Iowa voters, with a margin of error of ±6.6 points. A YouGov survey in the field October 6, 12 showed Turek 47% and Hinson 46% among 2,245 likely voters, margin 3.1 points. An Emerson College poll October 5, 6 had Hinson 47% and Turek 45% among 650 likely voters, margin 3.8 points.
Trump carried Iowa by more than 13 percentage points in 2024. That backdrop makes the current dead heat notable and explains why both sides are treating every pump-price talking point as high-stakes.
Newsweek reached out to both campaigns Saturday for further comment. No additional replies appear in the available reporting.
Hinson is doing what candidates do on a bus tour: asking supporters to fund the next leg and turn anger into votes. Turek turned a routine fundraising line into a morality play about diesel and war votes. Iowa voters can judge which approach actually lowers the price at the pump.
