For the first time in more than a decade, Iowa Democrats are competing for an open U.S. Senate seat.With Republican Sen. Joni Ernst not seeking reelection, Democrats see a rare opportunity to contest a seat that has remained in Republican hands for years. The race is expected to attract national attention this fall as both parties battle for control of the U.S. Senate.Before Democrats can focus on November, Iowa voters must first decide between two candidates who agree on many of the major issues but are making different arguments about who is best positioned to win.State Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville and State Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs have both centered their campaigns on affordability, government accountability and reducing the influence of powerful interests in politics. Both argue Iowa voters are looking for change. But the two are making different cases for why they are the strongest choice to flip Iowa’s Senate seat in November.In the final hours before Election Day, Wahls spent Monday working his way through a crowded Des Moines coffee shop, stopping at tables, shaking hands and introducing himself to voters.The state senator argues Democrats need a candidate willing to challenge political and economic power structures, regardless of party affiliation.”We need a candidate who can look voters in the eye and tell them, I don’t work for Chuck Schumer or Donald Trump or Elon Musk or the billionaires,” Wahls said. “Iowans deserve a senator who works for us. That’s what this campaign is all about. That’s why we’re going to win.”Wahls points to the coalition he has assembled during the campaign as evidence his message can compete statewide.”I’ve won 150 community endorsements from not just Democrats, but independents and even some Republicans from big cities, small towns and rural communities,” Wahls said in a previous interview with KCCI.Turek has spent the campaign making a different electability pitch.The Council Bluffs lawmaker spent part of the final weekend before the primary knocking doors in Polk County and other communities across Iowa, continuing a voter contact strategy that has defined much of his campaign.”As somebody that, again, won my first election by just six votes, I am a really, really big believer in getting out there and talking to your friends and neighbors,” Turek said.Turek argues his personal story, bipartisan approach and focus on what he describes as kitchen-table issues make him the strongest candidate to win over independents and moderate Republicans in a general election.”I know that there is something specific about my story, my background, my resume, my politics focusing on the kitchen table issues, focusing on affordability, going at this in a very bipartisan manner, that has this unique ability to resonate with independents and with moderate Republicans,” Turek said.The competing arguments reflect a broader debate about how Democrats can win statewide in Iowa, where the party has struggled in recent election cycles. Democratic voters will make their decision Tuesday.The winner will advance to the general election in one of Iowa’s highest-profile races of the year, a contest that could carry implications far beyond the state’s borders as both parties compete for control of the U.S. Senate.

DES MOINES, Iowa —

For the first time in more than a decade, Iowa Democrats are competing for an open U.S. Senate seat.

With Republican Sen. Joni Ernst not seeking reelection, Democrats see a rare opportunity to contest a seat that has remained in Republican hands for years. The race is expected to attract national attention this fall as both parties battle for control of the U.S. Senate.

Before Democrats can focus on November, Iowa voters must first decide between two candidates who agree on many of the major issues but are making different arguments about who is best positioned to win.

State Sen. Zach Wahls of Coralville and State Rep. Josh Turek of Council Bluffs have both centered their campaigns on affordability, government accountability and reducing the influence of powerful interests in politics. Both argue Iowa voters are looking for change.

But the two are making different cases for why they are the strongest choice to flip Iowa’s Senate seat in November.

In the final hours before Election Day, Wahls spent Monday working his way through a crowded Des Moines coffee shop, stopping at tables, shaking hands and introducing himself to voters.

The state senator argues Democrats need a candidate willing to challenge political and economic power structures, regardless of party affiliation.

“We need a candidate who can look voters in the eye and tell them, I don’t work for Chuck Schumer or Donald Trump or Elon Musk or the billionaires,” Wahls said. “Iowans deserve a senator who works for us. That’s what this campaign is all about. That’s why we’re going to win.”

Wahls points to the coalition he has assembled during the campaign as evidence his message can compete statewide.

“I’ve won 150 community endorsements from not just Democrats, but independents and even some Republicans from big cities, small towns and rural communities,” Wahls said in a previous interview with KCCI.

Turek has spent the campaign making a different electability pitch.

The Council Bluffs lawmaker spent part of the final weekend before the primary knocking doors in Polk County and other communities across Iowa, continuing a voter contact strategy that has defined much of his campaign.

“As somebody that, again, won my first election by just six votes, I am a really, really big believer in getting out there and talking to your friends and neighbors,” Turek said.

Turek argues his personal story, bipartisan approach and focus on what he describes as kitchen-table issues make him the strongest candidate to win over independents and moderate Republicans in a general election.

“I know that there is something specific about my story, my background, my resume, my politics focusing on the kitchen table issues, focusing on affordability, going at this in a very bipartisan manner, that has this unique ability to resonate with independents and with moderate Republicans,” Turek said.

The competing arguments reflect a broader debate about how Democrats can win statewide in Iowa, where the party has struggled in recent election cycles.

Democratic voters will make their decision Tuesday.

The winner will advance to the general election in one of Iowa’s highest-profile races of the year, a contest that could carry implications far beyond the state’s borders as both parties compete for control of the U.S. Senate.