Iowa Representative and Paralympic gold medalist Josh Turek launched his candidacy for senate on Tuesday using Senator Joni Ernst’s notorious “we’re all going to die” statement against her. Turek’s announcement touched on his identity as “an underdog,” overcoming multiple surgeries since childhood for spina bifida before becoming a Paralympic basketball champion. “It was a Senator from Iowa that made sure that the doors were open for kids like me,” the ad said. “Now the senator from Iowa is just closing doors. Taking away healthcare, making it harder for parents to feed their kids. All just to give tax breaks to billionaires. And her explanation? ‘Well, we’re all going to die.’” Ernst made the callous statement during a town hall meeting in May where she was speaking about Medicaid cuts and was interrupted by someone yelling out that “people will die.” Ernst, who has faced backlash since making the comment, doubled-down on her comment with a sarcastic apology made on her social media. In a press release, Turek said Ernst “went to Washington and forgot about fighting for us... I’m running for Senate to stick up for Iowans, not billionaires.”
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