About Josh Turek
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 graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in Council Bluffs.
He continued his basketball career at Southwest Minnesota State
University where he was the most prolific scorer in the program’s
history. Josh graduated in 2002 and later earned an MBA. Josh has
been inducted into the Athletic Halls of Fame at Abraham Lincoln and
Southwest Minnesota State University, as well as the National
Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame.
Josh lives in Council Bluffs with his wife Jarolin, who is an
immigrant and now a U.S. citizen, working in health care.
State representatives write and vote on state laws and the state budget. Each represents a district in the legislature's lower chamber, which is called the House, the Assembly, or the House of Delegates depending on the state. Most serve two-year terms.