Live dataIowa · 2026 U.S. Senate

Know the problem. Know the candidates. Then vote.

Non-partisan data for Iowa, drawn from public records and thousands of news stories.

Public databases
12
Behind 20 measured problems
News stories on problems
916
Read and scored one by one
News stories on candidates
1,545
Checked against their public record

The 5 biggest problems in Iowa

Measured from public government data. Not from opinions or headlines.

  1. 1AI Displacement Risk

    Worse here than in 43 other states.

    Critical66/100
  2. 2Corporate Influence in Politics

    Worse here than in 44 other states.

    Moderate62/100
  3. 3Education Quality

    Worse here than in 36 other states.

    Moderate58/100
  4. 4Climate Vulnerability

    Worse here than in 26 other states.

    Moderate54/100
  5. 5Pollution & Public Health

    Worse here than in 36 other states.

    Moderate54/100
See all 20 problems →

Where the news gets Iowa wrong

We compare what the data says with what the news covers.

  • AI Displacement RiskUnder-covered

    The data says ai displacement risk is a bigger problem in Iowa than the news coverage suggests.

  • Mental Health & Addiction CrisisOver-covered

    The news talks about mental health & addiction crisis in Iowa far more than the data says it is a problem here.

  • Education QualityUnder-covered

    The data says education quality is a bigger problem in Iowa than the news coverage suggests.

See every problem compared →

Who is running in Iowa

Ranked by Leadership Score — how news coverage describes their leadership. 100 is the best score any leader in U.S. history would earn.

  1. Joshua Turek
    DemocratParty nominee

    50

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  2. Ashley Hinson
    RepublicanParty nominee

    34

    Leadership Score (WATT)

  3. Thomas Raymond Laehn
    LibertarianParty nominee

    1

    Leadership Score (WATT)

Detail breakdown
MeasureJoshua TurekAshley HinsonThomas Raymond Laehn
Leadership Score50.4 / 10033.6 / 1000.5 / 100
Credit for strengths in the news+68.1+62.3+0.5
Deduction for criticism in the news−17.7−28.6−0.0
News stories analysed37458018
Record ScoreNo voting record — has not served in Congress4.5 / 10No voting record — has not served in Congress

Look at the details

Everything above, with the numbers behind it.

Longer bar means bigger problem

Ranked by government data alone, ignoring headlines and politics. 0 means the problem does not exist. 100 means it is as bad as it gets. The dotted line is the average across all 50 states.

1. AI Displacement Risk
66 (Critical)Worse than average
2. Corporate Influence in Politics
62 (Moderate)Worse than average
3. Education Quality
58 (Moderate)Worse than average
4. Climate Vulnerability
54 (Moderate)Worse than average
5. Pollution & Public Health
54 (Moderate)Worse than average
6. Political Polarization
50 (Lower)About average
7. Digital Divide
43 (Lower)Better than average
8. Food Insecurity
42 (Lower)Better than average
9. Crime & Safety
41 (Lower)Better than average
10. Government Inefficiency
41 (Lower)Better than average