The political landscape in the Midwest is heating up as Iowa and Illinois prepare for pivotal U.S. Senate races in 2026. With the retirement of key incumbents and the shadow of former President Donald Trump looming large, candidates from both parties are sharpening their messages and staking out ground on issues ranging from tariffs and taxes to immigration and cultural priorities.
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on September 14, 2025, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson officially kicked off her campaign for the U.S. Senate, promising to be Trump’s "top ally" in Washington if elected. The Marion Republican’s launch came just hours after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek reelection, clearing the way for a new generation of GOP leaders. Hinson, currently serving her third term in the U.S. House, wasted no time consolidating support: Trump himself, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott all endorsed her candidacy, according to reporting by The Gazette.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have earned the support of our great president, President Donald J. Trump,” Hinson told a crowd of supporters. "I am honored to fight alongside him to fix what Joe Biden broke. We are putting America first, and we are making America great again. Mr. President, I want to say thank you for your support. I will not let you down.”
Hinson’s platform is a familiar one to Iowa Republicans: border security, deporting undocumented immigrants, and a ban on transgender women competing in women’s sports. She also pledged to champion Iowa farmers and strengthen Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security for seniors. “Our priorities are your priorities,” she said. “These are common sense policies for common sense people.”
But Hinson’s campaign has also taken on a deeply personal tone. She described herself as a "mama bear who refuses to stand by and allow my kids to grow up in a country run by liberals who want to ditch the American experiment and set up some kind of crazy liberal dystopia." Hinson warned supporters not to get complacent, emphasizing that “Democrats are not just going to fade silently into the night.” She pointed to recent Republican successes in Iowa as proof that her and Trump’s policies resonate with voters, but insisted the 2026 election would be a battle. “We cannot rest on our laurels, though, and I think we all know that we have not come this far to only go this far,” she said. “If we keep Iowa red, we will help make sure President Trump can have a full four years of wins and deliver results for you that will last for a generation and beyond.”
Hinson’s launch was not without its critics. State Sen. Zach Wahls, one of four Democrats vying for his party’s nomination, fired back that Hinson “has supported the same policies as Ernst that are unpopular with Iowans which contribute to a ‘broken economy’ and political corruption in Washington.” Wahls, speaking at the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry, said, “Whether it’s Joni Ernst, Ashley Hinson, I think Iowans understand that Washington leaders have failed our state and they’re ready to change.” Jackie Norris, another Democratic candidate, accused Hinson of siding with “corporate and out-of-state interests over Iowa families,” and said Hinson must “own the same thing that Joni Ernst did — Medicaid cuts, rural health care being decimated, veterans’ health care cuts.”
Hinson’s campaign event also included a somber tribute to Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was fatally shot earlier in the week while speaking at a Utah college campus. Hinson led a moment of silence, calling Kirk “a man of faith” and “a martyr to free speech,” according to The Gazette. The killing has sparked a national debate, with Republicans lauding Kirk’s advocacy and critics recalling his controversial remarks about women, LGBTQ people, and immigrants.
Hinson’s supporters at the event included Bethany Hantz, an Iowa mother and midwife, who praised the congresswoman’s work on maternal health issues. “Ashley Hinson has been a champion on the federal level for legislation that will increase access to good maternity care,” Hantz said. Other speakers, including Jones County Sheriff Greg Graver and Buchanan County farmer Trish Cook, lauded Hinson’s record on law enforcement and agriculture, respectively.
On the Republican side, Hinson faces competition from former state legislator Jim Carlin, who has positioned himself as a staunch pro-Trump conservative, and former Libertarian Joshua Smith. Carlin, who previously challenged Iowa U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, criticized Hinson as a “phony” after she received Trump’s endorsement. Smith, meanwhile, has yet to formally register his campaign with the Federal Election Commission.
Meanwhile, in Illinois, Democratic candidates are grappling with the economic fallout of Trump-era tariffs as they vie to fill outgoing U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat. At a forum hosted by Illinois Democratic Women of Will County in Joliet, candidates Jump Shepherd, Kevin Ryan, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly, and U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi agreed that Trump’s tariffs have hurt small businesses and farmers across the state.
Kevin Ryan, a Chicago Public Schools teacher and U.S. Marine Corps veteran, argued that Illinois, a top exporter of soybeans and other agricultural commodities, has been particularly hard-hit. “There’s a ‘surgical time and place’ for tariffs when it’s necessary for certain national security measures or protecting certain burgeoning industries,” Ryan said. “And most importantly, it does not belong in the hands of the president.” He called for Congress to have the authority to impose tariffs, not the executive branch.
Jump Shepherd agreed, warning that the tariffs have helped big corporations consolidate power at the expense of neighborhood businesses. “When a small business in our neighborhood goes down, all that revenue, all that purchasing power, all that spending goes to Amazon or goes to Walmart or goes to another huge corporation that already has enough power and influence,” Shepherd said.
Robin Kelly reported hearing from small businesses struggling or going out of business because of the tariffs. “I met with a lot of small businesses, and they’re hurting, and some of them told me they will have to go out of business,” Kelly said. Raja Krishnamoorthi called Trump’s tariffs a “tax on working families” and blamed them for a 40% spike in wholesale vegetable prices in one month, as well as higher costs for homebuilding materials. “Blanket tariffs on all products from everywhere only leads to higher prices,” Krishnamoorthi said, though he added that tariffs can have value if applied strategically.
The debate comes as the legality of Trump’s tariffs is being challenged in the courts. On August 29, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that Trump had no legal right to impose sweeping tariffs on almost every country, but allowed the administration to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which will hear the case in November 2025. Trump administration officials continue to defend the tariffs as necessary to “ensure fair trade, protect American workers and reduce the trade deficit,” according to The Associated Press.
As the 2026 Senate races in Iowa and Illinois take shape, voters are being presented with starkly different visions for the future—one rooted in the America First policies of Trump and his allies, the other focused on economic relief and a rebalancing of power away from the executive branch. With endorsements, policy debates, and personal appeals already in full swing, the stage is set for a high-stakes showdown that could help define the direction of the Midwest—and the nation—for years to come.
