Ashley Hinson

Ashley Elizabeth Hinson née Arenholz (born June 27, 1983)[1] is an American politician and journalist who is the U.S. Representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district. Her district comprises much of the northeast quadrant of the state, including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and Dubuque.

Ashley Hinson
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Iowa's 1st district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Abby Finkenauer
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 67th district
In office January 9, 2017 – January 3, 2021
Preceded by	Kraig Paulsen
Succeeded by	Eric Gjerde
Personal details
Born	June 27, 1983 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Matthew Hinson
Children	2
Education	University of Southern California (BA)
Signature
Website	Campaign website

A Republican, she was the Iowa State Representative for the 67th district from 2017 to 2021, the first woman to represent the 67th district.[2] She won a seat in United States House of Representatives in the 2020 election, defeating incumbent Democrat Abby Finkenauer.

Early life, education, and career

A native of Des Moines, Iowa, Hinson is a graduate of Valley High School in West Des Moines and the University of Southern California, where she studied broadcast journalism.[3] She is an alumna of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. Hinson began her career as an anchor for KCRG-TV.[4]

Iowa House of Representatives

Elections

In 2016, Hinson decided to run for Iowa's 67th House District, based in Linn County, Iowa. She defeated Democrat Mark Seidl 62.5%-37.5%.[5]

This Cedar Rapids suburban district is very competitive politically. 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won this district over Donald Trump by two percentage points.[6]

In 2018, Hinson faced a competitive race against teacher Eric Gjerde. She defeated him, 52%–48%.[7][8]

Committee assignments

As of January 2019, Hinson serves on several committees in the Iowa House – the Judiciary committee; the Public Safety committee; and the Transportation committee, where she is chair. She also serves on the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee.

U.S. House of Representatives

2020

On May 13, 2019, Hinson filed paperwork to run against Democratic incumbent Abby Finkenauer in Iowa's 1st congressional district.[6]

The district, which encompasses 20 counties in northeastern Iowa, was flipped in the 2018 election.[9] Hinson was announced as a "contender" by the National Republican Congressional Committee. She was endorsed by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg.[10] On June 2, 2020, Hinson won the Republican primary and beat incumbent Democrat Finkenauer in the November general election.[11] Hinson focused her campaign on cutting taxes and building infrastructure.[2]

2020 Election for U.S. Representative of Iowa's 1st Congressional District

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ashley Hinson	212,088	51.2
	Democratic	Abby Finkenauer (incumbent)	201,347	48.7
	Write-in		434	0.1

Committee assignments

• Committee on Appropriations [12]
  • Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies[13]
  • Subcommittee on Homeland Security[14]
• Committee on Budget[14]

Electoral history

Election	Political result		Candidate		Party	Votes	%
Iowa House of Representatives General Election, 2018 [15] District 67 Turnout: 16,537		Republican hold		Ashley Hinson	Republican	8,593	52.0%
				Eric Gjerde	Democratic	7,932	48.0%
				Write-in votes		12	0.1%
Iowa House of Representatives General Election, 2016 [16] District 67 Turnout: 17,997		Republican hold		Ashley Hinson	Republican	11,248	62.50%
				Mark Seidl	Democratic	6,749	37.50%

Personal life

On November 12, 2020, Hinson tested positive for COVID-19.[17]

References

1. "Representative Ashley Hinson". Retrieved December 30, 2020.
2. Stabile, Angelica (November 9, 2020). "13 GOP women join the House, dominating congressional elections, making history". FOX News. Retrieved November 23, 2020.
3. "Alumni: Ashley Hinson". Annenberg TV News. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
4. Carros, Adam (January 18, 2019). "Rep. Hinson considering run for Congress". KCRG-TV9. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
5. https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/2016/general/canvsummary.pdf
6. Rynard, Pat. "Ashley Hinson Files For 1st District Run Against Abby Finkenauer". Iowa Starting Line. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
7. "Ashley Hinson". Ballotpedia. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
8. "Gjerde and Hinson attack one another's record in TV ads". kcrg.com. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
9. "Ashley Hinson, Abby Finkenauer raise $3 million in 2019 for Iowa's 1st District race". The Gazette. January 8, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
10. "Hinson Turns in More Than Four Times the Required Signatures to be on the Ballot". February 25, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
11. Staff, KCRG News. "Hinson wins 1st District Republican nomination, will face Finkenauer". kcrg.com. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
12. "Hinson Tapped to Serve on House Appropriations Committee | Representative Ashley Hinson". hinson.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
13. "Hinson Named To Key Appropriations Subcommittees | Representative Ashley Hinson". hinson.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
14. "Hinson Selected to Serve on House Budget Committee | Representative Ashley Hinson". hinson.house.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
15. "Official Results". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
16. "2016 General Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. p. 131. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
17. https://www.kcci.com/article/iowa-congresswoman-elect-ashley-hinson-tests-positive-for-covid-19-will-quarantine/34654951

External links

• Representative Ashley Hinson, official U.S. House website
• Ashley Hinson at Iowa Legislature
• Campaign website
• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Profile at Vote Smart
• Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
• Legislation sponsored at the Library of Congress
• Biography at Ballotpedia

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