U.S. Rep Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, is running for reelection in 2022.

The House freshman made her announcement during a BBQ at the Linn County Fairgrounds on Saturday.

Hinson, a former journalist, said one of the reasons she ran for Congress was to tell Iowan’s stories in Washington.

“I’m a mom who drives a minivan,” she said. “I bring a little Iowa common sense to Washington D.C. and that was my role.”

Hinson unseated former congressperson and current Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer in the 2020 election, and is facing a challenge from another former KCRG journalist, State Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Hiawatha.

A line up of Republicans took the stage to show Hinson support and emphasize the importance of winning back the House and Senate in 2022 — including U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas. Cruz said the road to 2022 comes through Iowa.

“Together, we’re going to reelect Ashley Hinson to Congress. Together, we’re going to send four Republican Congressmen and women from Iowa,” Cruz said. “Together, we’re going to retire Nancy Pelosi. Together we’re going to retire Chuck Schumer.”

Iowa currently has one Democratic Congressperson, U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne.

RELATED: Democratic State Senator Liz Mathis running for U.S. Congress

Cruz, a former Republican Presidential candidate, won the 2016 Republican Iowa caucuses. Former President Donald Trump accused Cruz of stealing the win from him in response, and Cruz later went on to help Trump challenge the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s 2020 win.

Cruz is among several national figures and potential 2024 Presidential candidates to visit Iowa this summer. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem both spoke alongside Gov. Kim Reynolds in Des Moines at a conference hosted by Christian conservative lobbyist group, The FAMiLY Leader.

Hinson also received support from other Republicans in the Iowa delegation, including Republican Chairman Jeff Kaufmann, Chairperson of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, and Reynolds.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said defeating policies on the left “is the most important thing we have to worry about.”

While supporting Hinson’s reelection campaign, Grassley has not announced if he will be on the ballot in 2022. Grassley has been in the U.S. Senate since 1981 and in public office for more than 60 years.

The speakers also critiqued Biden for the way he has withdrawn from Afghanistan.

Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who is a veteran, said the last few weeks have been a travesty, and that she is outraged.

Hinson played the national anthem on the violin to honor the victims of a suicide bomb in an Afghanistan airport that killed 13 U.S. service members and at least 169 Afghans.

“Did they have a plan?” Hinson asked the crowd. “They did not have a plan, and now we’ve lost American lives. We’ve put our safety and security at risk both here at home and overseas. And on the global stage.”