Ashley Elizabeth Hinson (born June 27, 1983) is an American politician and journalist serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district since 2021. Her district comprises much of the northeast quadrant of the state, including

Cedar Rapids Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city. I ...

, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a ...

. A member of the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

, Hinson was the Iowa State Representative for the 67th district from 2017 to 2021, the first woman to represent the district. She won a seat in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

in the 2020 election, narrowly defeating incumbent Democrat

Abby Finkenauer Abby Lea Finkenauer (born December 27, 1988) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before being elected to Congress, Fin ...

. Hinson and Mariannette Miller-Meeks are the first Republican women to represent Iowa in the House.

Early life, education and career

A native of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

, Hinson is a graduate of Valley High School in West Des Moines and the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

, where she studied

broadcast journalism Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are broadcast by electronic methods instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. It works on radio (via air, cable, and Internet), television (via air, cable, ...

. She is an alumna of the

Pi Beta Phi Pi Beta Phi (), often known simply as Pi Phi, is an international women's fraternity founded at Monmouth College, in Monmouth, Illinois on April 28, 1867 as I. C. Sorosis, the first national secret college society of women to be modeled after ...

sorority. Hinson began her career as an anchor for KCRG-TV.

Iowa House of Representatives

Elections

In 2016, Hinson ran for Iowa's 67th House District, based in Linn County, Iowa. She defeated Democrat Mark Seidl, 62.5%-37.5%. This

suburban district is very competitive. 2016 Democratic presidential nominee

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

won it over

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

by two percentage points. In 2018, Hinson faced a competitive race against teacher

Eric Gjerde Eric Gjerde is an American politician and educator who is a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 67th district. Elected in 2020, he assumed office on January 11, 2021. Early life and education Gjerde earned a Bachelor of Arts ...

. She defeated him, 52%–48%.

Committee assignments

In the Iowa House, Hinson served on the Judiciary committee, the Public Safety committee, and the Transportation committee, which she chaired. She also served on the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

On May 13, 2019, Hinson filed paperwork to run against Democratic incumbent

in Iowa's 1st congressional district. The district, which encompasses 20 counties in northeastern Iowa, was flipped in the 2018 election. Hinson was announced as a "contender" by the

National Republican Congressional Committee The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) is the Republican Hill committee which works to elect Republicans to the United States House of Representatives. The NRCC was formed in 1866, when the Republican caucuses of the House and ...

. She was endorsed by Iowa Governor

Kim Reynolds Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn; born August 4, 1959) is an American politician serving as the 43rd governor of Iowa since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Reynolds served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017. Bef ...

and

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Adam Gregg Adam Gregg (born April 26, 1983) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 47th lieutenant governor of Iowa. He has held this position since 2019. Gregg previously served as Acting Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2019. A member of the ...

. On June 2, 2020, Hinson won the Republican primary. Hinson focused her campaign on cutting taxes and building infrastructure. In July 2020, ''The New York Times'' reported several instances of Hinson's campaign website plagiarizing portions of articles from media outlets. Hinson said she "was unaware of the plagiarism when I reviewed drafts presented to me by staff. As a journalist I take this extremely seriously and am deeply sorry for the mistake. The staff responsible will be held accountable." Hinson beat Finkenauer in the November general election.

2022

On October 29, 2021, most of Hinson's territory, including her home in Marion, near Cedar Rapids, became the 2nd district due to redistricting, and Hinson announced she would seek reelection there. In effect, she traded district numbers with fellow freshman Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks. Hinson defeated Democratic nominee Liz Mathis in the general election.

Tenure

Hinson, along with all other Senate and House Republicans, voted against the

American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, also called the COVID-19 Stimulus Package or American Rescue Plan, is a economic stimulus bill passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on March 11, 2021, to s ...

. On July 19, 2022, Hinson and 46 other Republican Representatives voted for the

Respect for Marriage Act The Respect for Marriage Act (RFMA; ) is a landmark United States federal law passed by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden. It repeals the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), requires the U.S. federal gover ...

, which would codify the right to same-sex marriage in federal law. In 2022, Hinson was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.

Committee assignments

* Committee on Appropriations ** Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies ** Subcommittee on Homeland Security * Committee on Budget

Caucus memberships

Republican Study Committee The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is a study group of conservative members of the Republican Party in the United States House of Representatives. As of 2021, the Chairman of the RSC is Representative Jim Banks of Indiana. Although the prima ...

Electoral history

Personal life

Hinson is a resident of Marion,

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

. She is married with two children.

References

External links

Representative Ashley Hinson
official U.S. House website
Ashley Hinson
at

Iowa Legislature The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of R ...

Campaign website

Biography
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

* , - , - --> {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinson, Ashley 1983 births 21st-century American journalists 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American television news anchors American women television journalists Female members of the United States House of Representatives Journalists from Iowa Living people Republican Party members of the Iowa House of Representatives People from Marion, Iowa People from West Des Moines, Iowa Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Iowa University of Southern California alumni Women state legislators in Iowa

Early life, education and career

Iowa House of Representatives

Elections

Committee assignments

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2020

2022

Tenure

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

Personal life

See also

References

External links