CEDAR RAPIDS — Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson formally kicked off her bid for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat in a room full of supporters in Cedar Rapids on Sunday as she vowed to be President Donald Trump’s “top ally” in the Senate if elected.
Hinson is vying for the Republican nomination of the U.S. Senate seat left vacant after U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, announced on Sept. 2 she would not seek reelection. She is considered a frontrunner for the nomination with a bevy of endorsements from Republicans nationally, including Trump.
Former Iowa Sen. Jim Carlin, R-Sioux City, and Indianola Republican Joshua Smith are also seeking the nomination.
The race is expected to be competitive with Ernst’s retirement, which makes it a race for an open seat. However, election forecasters continue to rate the race as “likely Republican.”
Hinson said she is committed to remaining a strong ally of Trump in the Senate and promised her unwavering support.
“I will be fighting alongside him to fix what Joe Biden broke,” Hinson said to applause on Sunday. “We are putting America first, and we are making America great again. Mr. President, I want to say thank you for your support. I will not let you down.”
Hinson’s main priorities lie in continuing Trump’s agenda, including mass deportations, cutting taxes, and ending “woke gender ideology.”
“We will not stop because at heart, I’m a mama bear who refuses to stand by and allow my kids to grow up in a country run by liberals who want to ditch the American experiment and set up some kind of crazy liberal dystopia,” Hinson said.
Hinson has been a vocal supporter of Trump’s extension and expansion of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The bill is estimated to raise the deficit by $3.4 trillion over a decade and increase the U.S. debt limit by $5 trillion.
The bill makes large cuts to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, food assistance programs, and other spending to the tune of $1.5 trillion and leaves millions without health insurance.
The bill also makes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts by making Trump’s 2017 bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, permanent, increasing the child tax credit, increasing the standard deduction, rolling back green energy tax credits, and limiting taxes on tips and overtime.
The bill also includes an increase in military spending, funds for a “golden dome” missile defense system, funding to finish the border wall, and an increase in funding for border protection and immigration law enforcement.
Democrats have said the bill will cripple social programs like Medicaid and food assistance in exchange for tax cuts for large corporations and the wealthy.
Barbara Hatinger, club president of Republican Women of Black Hawk County, said she has been a longtime friend of Hinson’s. Hatinger went to support her because of Hinson’s proposal and support of conservative values.
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Hatinger’s biggest concern is equal trade and fiscal values.
“This can’t go on forever, and I don’t want to end up underneath the Chinese because we can’t get our act together,” she said.
Hinson has also taken strong stances on competition with China and vowed to continue her stance in the Senate, leading legislation to prohibit the sale of farmland to Chinese-owned companies.
Hinson also said she will focus on “making America affordable again,” lowering prescription drug prices, and expanding mental health services.
Hinson pauses to honor Charlie Kirk
During her address to supporters, Hinson paused for a moment of silence for conservative activist and media personality Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. Kirk was close to Trump and a pillar among conservative circles.
Hinson said Kirk inspired a new generation of Americans and delivered results that changed the lives of millions.
“He passionately sought that unfiltered truth in the most American way possible, which was to have that honest, civil debate and discourse with people,” Hinson said on Sunday. “We are so grateful for his selfless contribution to our country, and we know his legacy will live on in the American spirit.”
Terry McDonald of Coralville said he believes all of Hinson’s values and the causes she is running on are important, but securing the borders and her views on taxation are his priority.
McDonald said he lives “polar-opposite from the liberal life,” but admires the way Kirk was able to have civilized and constructive conversations with people who held different views from him.
Hatinger said Kirk’s death was “terrible and absolutely tragic.” She said he pushed the idea that Americans need to fight with words, not bullets, and people need to “do their homework” to understand exactly what they believe.
“So many of these young people just pick up these phrases, get into the emotion of something that has a vague appeal to them, and they don’t really understand what’s behind those words, what’s behind those ideas,” Hatinger said.
She said she hopes people don’t stop talking about Kirk, wanting people to emulate him and not just let anger win.
“We need to take the positive, loving, faithful, soulful approach that he had to all people, even the ones who were arguing with him,” she said.