Iowa Democrat Senate candidate Josh Turek has made government corruption a central focus of his campaign.
So why would he accept money from donors accused of sexual abuse?
While speaking to the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox event, he said, “I say all the time, we can have oligarchy or we can have democracy, but we cannot have both.”
He added, “And right now, what we have is we have outsize influence from billionaires and large corporations that are buying off the political process.”
Part of his platform is overturning the Citizens United ruling, passing the DISCLOSE ACT, and imposing term limits, “Because members of Congress should be accountable to their constituents, to the people, not just to the billionaires, donors and lobbyists.”
Another $20 million. That's what a super PAC just announced they're dropping into this race to try to defeat me.
— Josh Turek (@turek4iowa) September 30, 2026
They're scared. They know Iowans are fed up with the self-serving corruption in Washington from politicians like my opponent, and they're spending millions to stop… pic.twitter.com/Nr1A0R5Bu9
Yet, Turek has taken money from some rather questionable sources.
One of these individuals is John Doerr, a tech investor who donated $3,500 to Turek’s campaign. His name showed up on email chains with Jeffrey Epstein.
John Doerr, an early tech investor and California-based venture capitalist, has made two contributions of $3,500 to Ossoff's 2026 campaign, for a total of $7,000.
Doerr was listed on email chains with Epstein from John Brockman, who hosted events with 'sumptuous dinners [and] exclusive conferences… for the rich, the smart, and the powerful,' per the Department of Justice.
The candidate has also taken money from family members of billionaire mega-donor George Soros, who also appeared in the Epstein files.
If Turek is so serious about rooting out corruption in government, why would he willingly accept money from people who are corrupt?
Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article said Turek had taken money from former Fox Sports chief Jamie Horowitz. The name was actually Jaime Horowitz. The candidate has no known financial relationship with Jamie Horowitz.