Josh Turek says Kamala Harris should not campaign for him

Josh Turek didn't hem and haw about this one. A reporter in Cedar Rapids asked him point blank whether he'd want Kamala Harris on the trail with him, and he said no. Not "we'll see," not some mealy-mouthed answer about respecting all wings of the party. Just no. That's a data point worth sitting with, because Iowa Democrats aren't exactly known for picking fights with their own national figures in public.

What it tells you is simple. Harris is still radioactive in the places Democrats actually need to win back. A guy running statewide in Iowa, a state Trump carried twice by double digits, knows that having the former vice president stump for him does him more harm than good. He's not trying to relitigate 2024. He's trying to get elected, and he apparently understands his own electorate better than a lot of people in Washington do.

There's something almost refreshing about a candidate being this blunt about it instead of dodging the question with the usual "I welcome support from anyone in our party" nonsense. Turek just said the quiet part. And the fact that he felt safe enough to say it, rather than fearing backlash from the base, tells you where Harris actually sits in the party's pecking order right now. She ran a national campaign fifteen months ago. Now local candidates are actively steering clear of her shadow.

Democrats can spin this however they want, but you don't turn away a former VP's help unless you think it costs you votes. Turek did the math and decided the answer was yes.