University of Iowa

A Des Moines family is coping with the deportation of Juan Lopez, who lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years before immigration officers arrested him on his way to work in September. Lopez, who officials say had a felony record including assault and burglary, left behind seven children and 14 grandchildren, all U.S. citizens. His children say the deportation has brought emotional and financial strain, with two sons now helping cover the family mortgage. University of Iowa researchers note that immigration enforcement can affect children's health and development even before birth. Brookings estimates more than 200,000 children nationwide have had a parent detained since early last year.

Iowa Senate Democratic nominee Josh Turek, pressed by NBC News on whether illegal immigrants should face deportation, said there should not be immediate deportation and instead backed a pathway to legal status contingent on background checks. He inaccurately cited Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra as supporters of the Dignity Act; neither cosponsors the bill. The exchange intensifies immigration as a flashpoint in Turek's race against Rep. Ashley Hinson, who has criticized his record on ICE cooperation, immigrant benefits, and a campaign ad featuring sheriffs who limited detainer compliance. Critics call the Dignity Act amnesty; sponsor Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar disputes that characterization, calling it enforcement-first reform.

Iowa's 2026 midterm races are diverging sharply. In the open governor's race, Democrat Rob Sand leads Republican Zach Lahn by wide margins across every poll since the summer primaries, including surveys from YouGov, Marist, Emerson, CNN/SSRS, Suffolk and the New York Times/Siena. The Senate race to replace retiring Republican Joni Ernst is far tighter, with Democrat Josh Turek and Republican Ashley Hinson trading narrow leads across the same polls after two debates focused on tariffs, immigration and the Iran war. Analysts cite Sand's stronger name recognition from two statewide auditor wins and Hinson's incumbency advantage as representative to explain the split. Iowa last elected a Democratic senator in 2008 and a Democratic governor in 2006.

Water quality and Iowa's elevated cancer rates — long politically sensitive topics given the state's reliance on agriculture — have become central issues in this year's midterm campaigns. Iowa has the second-highest rate of newly diagnosed cancers nationally, with prostate, breast and lung cancer cases rising faster than the U.S. average. State-funded University of Iowa research attributes much of the above-normal rates to demographic and behavioral factors, though researchers are now examining environmental contributors, including nitrates from fertilizer and animal waste that run off into rivers and drinking water supplies.

Candidates across the ballot — including U.S. Senate hopefuls Josh Turek and Ashley Hinson, gubernatorial contenders Rob Sand and Zach Lahn, and agriculture secretary rivals Chris Jones and incumbent Mike Naig — are addressing the issue, though they differ sharply on whether conservation practices should be mandatory. Gov. Kim Reynolds recently committed $320 million toward water infrastructure and conservation incentives, following lawn-watering restrictions and a prior failed lawsuit by Des Moines-area utilities against upstream counties over nitrate removal costs.

With midterms weeks away, potential 2028 contenders Andy Beshear and Donald Trump Jr. campaigned separately in Iowa college towns, underscoring the state's enduring role as a testing ground for presidential hopefuls even though Democrats have stripped it of its early-primary status. Beshear, stumping in Ames for gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand, urged Democrats to drop "advocacy speak" in favor of plain talk, arguing that governor's races this cycle will determine whether Iowa is competitive for Democrats in 2028. Trump Jr., appearing at a packed Turning Point USA event in Iowa City, warned against a Democratic "dystopian communist hellhole," though some attendees said the tone clashed with the spirit of the late Charlie Kirk.

Both men remain long-shot contenders in early 2028 polling — Beshear trails in the Democratic field, while Trump Jr. lags behind Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio among Republicans. Vance also recently visited Iowa to support GOP candidates, signaling the invisible primary is already underway.

Judith "Judy" G. Bainbridge, the longtime Furman University English professor widely regarded as Greenville, South Carolina's foremost historian, died Sept. 17, 2026, two weeks short of her 90th birthday. A service is planned for Oct. 17 at the Garden Room at Furman Chapel.

Bainbridge joined Furman in 1976 after teaching in Charlotte, later retiring in 2007 but continuing to write. For 22 years she authored a biweekly history column for The Greenville News, producing more than 500 installments between 1999 and 2022, and wrote seven books, including "Greenville's Heritage" and "A Short History of Greenville." Her work frequently linked the city's past to present-day issues, from a 2019 column on the 1918 Spanish flu republished during the COVID-19 pandemic to reporting on the historically Black New Washington Heights neighborhood. Colleagues and former students, including South Carolina Supreme Court Justice Letitia Verdin, credited Bainbridge with shaping careers and correcting long-held myths about Greenville's founding figures and institutions. Mayor Knox White opened a Sept. 28 City Council meeting with a moment of silence in her honor.

Iowa's rising cancer rate has emerged as a bipartisan issue in the state's competitive 2026 midterm races for Congress and governor. Iowa has the second-highest cancer rate in the country, behind only Kentucky, and is one of just three states where rates are climbing, driven by increases in lung, prostate and breast cancers. Candidates from both parties, including Republican Rep. Zach Nunn and Democratic challenger Sarah Trone Garriott, have made the issue central to their campaigns, with voters increasingly linking it to concerns about nitrate contamination in water from agricultural runoff.

Democrats such as Senate candidate Josh Turek and House candidate Christina Bohannan have tied the issue to opposition against Medicaid cuts under President Trump's tax and spending law, warning of coverage losses for Iowans. Republicans, including Rep. Ashley Hinson, have emphasized expanding cancer screening access and conservation funding. Scientists remain divided on whether nitrate-contaminated water is driving the increase, and a state-commissioned study has yet to reach firm conclusions, but polling shows water quality now ranks among voters' top concerns heading into the election.