(Des Moines) Iowa Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is running for the U.S. Senate. Hinson made an official announcement yesterday, hours after Senator Joni Ernst confirmed she wouldn’t seek a third term. Hinson says she is running for Senate to put Iowans first while promoting the America First agenda. She also stated that she will focus on defending Iowa farmers and supporting the state’s agriculture sector. Hinson is currently serving her second term in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
Hinson released this statement on social media on Tuesday. “I’m running for the United States Senate to fight alongside President Trump and deliver on the America First agenda. From securing our border and deporting illegal aliens, to keeping men out of girls’ sports and cutting taxes for working families, I will fight every day for Iowans and our conservative values.”
Ashley Hinson graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines in 2001. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from the University of Southern California in 2004, where she was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority
Before entering politics, Hinson pursued a career in local journalism. She worked as an anchor and reporter at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids beginning around 2005.
In 2016, Hinson ran for the Iowa House of Representatives in District 67 and won, becoming the first woman to hold that seat. She served two terms, winning elections in both 2016 and 2018. During her time in the state legislature, she was active on the Judiciary, Public Safety, and Transportation Committees—chairing several—and worked on appropriations for transportation and infrastructure.
In 2020, Hinson challenged and narrowly defeated incumbent Democrat Abby Finkenauer to represent Iowa’s 1st Congressional District—making her one of Iowa’s first two Republican women elected to the U.S. House.
Due to redistricting, from 2023 onward, she has served Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, which includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, and other parts of northeastern Iowa.
She was re-elected in 2022 by defeating Democratic state senator Liz Mathis, and again in 2024, earning 57.1% of the vote against Sarah Corkery.
Her decision opens up her current House seat (Iowa’s 2nd District).
(Photo: Courtesy of Ashley Hinson’s Facebook Page)
