Winning Iowa
Hopium has been investing in Iowa since the late summer of 2025, and it has become of the most important battlegrounds of the 2026 elections with open and competitive US Senate and Gubernatorial races and 3 possible US House flips.
Our “Winning Iowa” campaign splits donations evenly among Josh Turek for US Senate, Rob Sand for Governor and the Iowa Democratic Party. You can also give to directly to our candidates and the Party below. Here is another place where you can get to know our great candidates running in Iowa - interviews below!
Josh Turek For US Senate | Donate | Learn more and volunteer
Rob Sand For Governor | Donate | Learn more and volunteer
Rita Hart, Iowa Democratic Party Chair | Donate | Watch my interview with Rita
Christina Bohannan For IA-01 | Donate | Learn more and volunteer
Sarah Trone Garriott For IA-03 | Donate | Learn more and volunteer
Meet Our Candidates
State Representative Josh Turek, Our Inspiring U.S. Senate Candidate
Josh Turek is a two-time Paralympic gold medalist for Team USA and a State Legislator who represents the reddest seat held by a Democrat in the state of Iowa. Born with spina bifida after his dad was exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam, Josh overcame 21 surgeries by the age of 12 to eventually represent the U.S. at four Paralympics.
After his basketball career ended with a gold medal in Tokyo in 2021, Josh ran to represent his hometown of Council Bluffs in the legislature. Running in a seat that Donald Trump had already won twice, Josh pushed his chair up hills and crawled up stairs to talk to Iowans of all political stripes, eventually winning by six votes. He was re-elected by a five point margin at the same time Trump was winning the seat by eight points, not only because of his work ethic but because he’s developed a reputation as a common-sense, bipartisan legislator.
Josh is committed to shaping economic policy decisions that benefit the middle class and workers rather than Wall Street and billionaire donors. Josh is committed to alleviating the economic pressures faced by increasingly cash-strapped Iowans and their families. He is a strong supporter of public education and has been a vocal opponent to school vouchers. He has been and continues to be a relentless advocate for major reform to Iowa’s broken health care system. He is a strong proponent of meaningful and effective environmental protection - especially the air, food, and water we all rely on.
While playing professional basketball, Josh began as the Volunteer Director for the Ryan Martin Foundation, an organization providing disabled children opportunities to play sports for free. He also worked with patients and doctors at a wheelchair and mobility assistance company, to provide mobility devices and complex rehab technology to people with disabilities. In this role, Josh recognized major shortfalls in our health care system - routinely failing the most vulnerable in our society.
Josh lives in Council Bluffs with his wife Jarolin, who is an immigrant and now a U.S. citizen, working in health care.
Learn more about Rep. Turek and his campaign for U.S. Senate here.
Rob Sand, Iowa State Auditor and Democratic Nominee for Governor
Unlike the powerful insiders and special interests that have run Iowa’s government for the last decade, Rob is focused on all Iowans. Rob stands up for what’s right, even when it’s hard or goes against his political party, and defends his opponents from unfair attacks. No one in Iowa does this more than Rob, and it’s exactly how he’ll lead as governor.
Rob Sand was born and raised in Decorah – home to the Vikings and some of the best pizza in the state. Rob’s roots in Iowa span generations – his dad’s family has been in Winneshiek County since getting off the boat from Norway. Rob grew up fishing and hunting in the area with his dad, and found his passion for public service during high school working to get a skatepark built in his community. Growing up in small-town Iowa will always be an important part of who Rob is.
Rob started his career in public service as an Assistant Iowa Attorney General and Iowa’s chief public corruption prosecutor, locking up scammers, taxpayer abusers, and thieves, as well as violent criminals and well over a dozen sexually violent predators – putting away some of the worst of Iowa’s sexual offenders. He prosecuted all criminal cases related to the Iowa Film Office tax credit scandal and numerous crooked politicians – from both parties. He also uncovered and prosecuted the largest lottery rigging scheme in American history, which he wrote about in his true crime book, The Winning Ticket.
The people of Iowa have elected Rob twice as State Auditor, first in 2018, defeating an incumbent Republican and becoming the first Democrat to hold the office since the 1960s, and again in 2022 where he was the only Democrat reelected statewide. Since taking office, Rob has served as a trusted leader and government watchdog with a record of rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, holding members of both parties accountable, and doing what’s right for Iowans. In his first term as Auditor, Rob uncovered more waste, fraud, and abuse in a single term than any other State Auditor in Iowa history, and has uncovered more than $29 million in misspent money since taking office.
Rob works with both parties to get things done for Iowans. In the State Auditor’s Office, Rob had both an Independent and a Republican in senior leadership positions, and promoted – not fired – employees who made campaign contributions to his political opponents. For Rob, it’s not about right versus left, but right versus wrong, and he always stands up for what’s right, even when he stands alone. Rob has brought Iowans together from across the state – and across party lines – who believe in his vision for a better Iowa, and are standing with him as he takes his fight to the governor’s office.
As governor, Rob will lower costs and protect taxpayer dollars, restore the public’s trust in our government, continue rooting out corruption, and fight to improve the lives of Iowa families and solve some of our toughest challenges. He’ll work to create more opportunities for Iowans across the state and help Iowa families not just get by, but thrive and live healthy lives.
Learn more about Rob and his run for Governor here.
Christina Bohannan, Candidate In Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
Christina Bohannan is a mom, law professor, and former engineer. She is running for Congress because she believes we need less partisan infighting and more common sense solutions in Washington — for a government that works for the people. Christina will fight every day for Iowa families, kids, and small businesses because she believes if you work hard, you deserve a fair shot to get ahead.
The youngest of her parents’ three children, Christina grew up living in a trailer in a rural small town. Her parents never finished high school, and her mom worked at a daycare while her dad struggled to make ends meet as a construction worker.
When Christina was in high school, her dad got sick with emphysema, and his health insurance was cancelled, forcing her family to choose between paying for his medicine and paying for everything else. In Congress, Christina will take on big Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs.
Thanks to the support and guidance of strong public school teachers, student loans, scholarships, and Christina’s hard work, she became the first in her family to graduate college. She worked her way through engineering school and then law school by picking oranges, cleaning trailers, and working as an engineer. Christina graduated first in her law school class and was Editor-in-Chief of the law review, and after graduation went on to clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
More than two decades ago, Christina was given a life changing opportunity to move to Iowa and become a law professor at the University of Iowa. She is proud to have raised her daughter here on the Iowa values of decency, fairness, and hard work. Christina’s daughter recently graduated from college and just finished her first year in law school. In their community, Christina and her family have been involved in several organizations, including groups that advocate for women and girls, support hard-working and low-income families, and serve underprivileged areas.
At the University of Iowa law school, Christina teaches and writes in several areas of law, including teaching Constitutional Law, Torts, and Intellectual Property. She’s spent her career working on business innovation, capitalism, and economic growth, and teaching our young people about the importance of democracy in a country founded on the promise of freedom and equality–a background more important than ever, given current threats to our institutions.
In 2020, Christina stood up to run for office, taking on politics as usual and defeating a 20-year incumbent to represent District 85 in the Iowa House. During her time in the Statehouse, Christina listened to her community to protect working families, look out for seniors, push for more investment in our public schools, and help Iowa families and small businesses recover from the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. She’s worked with both parties to pass legislation to crack down on human trafficking and to address the often overlooked problem of elder abuse.
Now, Christina is running for Congress because she believes we need a government that works for the people, not Washington special interests. Too many Iowa families are struggling, worrying they’re just one bad break from not making ends meet, like her family was when her dad got sick. In Congress, Christina will take on greedy corporations responsible for price gouging and rising prices. She will also work to protect Medicaid and social security, lower costs for Iowans, and advocate for a middle class tax cut. She’ll protect veterans from unnecessary DOGE cuts, and call for more technical and vocational training for high-skill, high-wage jobs in Iowa, greater investment in our kids and schools, and better access to broadband all across Iowa.
Outside of serving her community, Christina enjoys running, hiking, bike riding, and spending time with her daughter and husband.
Learn more about Christina and her campaign in IA-01 here.
Sarah Trone Garriott, Candidate In Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District
Sarah Trone Garriott has always been called to serve her community, as a minister, a mom, a nonprofit leader, and a State Senator.
Early on, her calling to serve led Sarah to join AmeriCorps, dedicating a year as a VISTA volunteer supporting victims of domestic violence. Her journey continued at Harvard Divinity School, where she deepened her understanding of faith while working at a women’s shelter and a youth-focused nonprofit.
Sarah’s calling to service next led her to hospital chaplaincy, where she supported individuals and families navigating their most challenging moments. This work inspired her to enter ministry, becoming an ordained Lutheran pastor. She first served a congregation in rural Virginia before moving to Iowa in 2013 to lead Faith Lutheran Church in Clive.
Sarah took her ministry out into the world as the Coordinator of Interfaith Engagement for the Des Moines Area Religious Council Food Pantry Network. As a nonprofit leader, she champions initiatives addressing food insecurity and fosters collaboration across diverse religious communities.
In 2020, frustrated that her elected leaders weren’t listening to the concerns of her community, Sarah ran for public office. That year, she successfully flipped a Republican-held seat in the Iowa State Senate. In 2022, as a result of redistricting, Sarah moved her family to take on then-Senate President Jake Chapman. She won that seat by 3 points while Gov. Kim Reynolds carried it by 7 points. In 2024, she defended her district even though Trump won it. She is the only Democrat in Iowa to flip multiple districts while representing a district won by Donald Trump.
Throughout her service in the State Senate, Sarah has defined herself as an advocate for working families: championing accessible and affordable healthcare, mental health programs, support for public schools, paid family leave, quality childcare, and reproductive rights. Recognized for her pragmatic leadership, Sarah has continuously demonstrated her ability to unite Iowans across party lines. Her commitment extends beyond policy to genuine community engagement, constantly showing up to listen, support, and act on behalf of her constituents.
Learn more about Sarah and her campaign in IA-03 here.
