Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa on Tuesday launched a 2026 campaign in the race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst. (Getty Images)
"We have a common sense approach in Iowa, and I don't want to see Iowa look like California. I think we need to see the country look more like Iowa," she said.
"Iowa does things right," she added.
Iowa was once a top battleground state that former President Barack Obama carried in his 2008 and 2012 White House victories. But the state has shifted to the right in recent election cycles with Trump carrying the state by nine points in 2016, eight points in 2020, and by 13 points last November.
Republicans currently hold both of the state's Senate seats – Ernst and longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley – and all four of Iowa's congressional districts, as well as all statewide offices except for state auditor.
And while Democrats in Iowa are energized after flipping two GOP-held state Senate seats in special elections so far this year, Hinson sees her support for the president as a plus as she runs for the Senate.
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"When I look at what message we're out selling, it's what exactly they voted for in the last election. Iowans overwhelmingly sent President Trump to the White House," Hinson noted.
Hinson, who highlighted that she won her own House re-election by 15 points last November, said "we're executing on what I heard on the campaign trail, which was that they wanted lower taxes."
"So what did we do? We delivered," as she pointed to the sweeping GOP domestic policy bill that the president signed into law on July 4, which extends the 2017 tax cuts and includes no tax on tips and overtime for many workers.
Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa, who is running in the 2026 race to succeed retiring GOP Sen. Joni Ernst, sits for a Fox News Digital interview on Sept. 4, 2025 in Washington D.C. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News )
During some of her town hall meetings in Iowa this spring and summer, Hinson grabbed national attention as she faced disruptions, including jeers, boos, and heated questions from constituents. The backlash was directed at her support for the GOP's tax and spend bill, which Trump at the time called his One Big Beautiful Bill.
"I think that it is really important to be transparent and accessible, and I will go out and defend our agenda anytime, anywhere, and talk with Iowans," she said.
But she lamented that "unfortunately, what we've seen is, like in my town halls last week, people just wanted to stand there, yell and have a camera in my face to try to get a viral clip. I don't think that's productive. That's why I answered their questions in a cool, calm and collected way, because I'm trying to change that by getting out and answering those questions."
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Hinson doesn't have the GOP primary field to herself. Former state Sen. Jim Carlin and veteran Joshua Smith had already entered the primary ahead of Ernst's announcement.
And five Democrats are already running for Senate in Iowa. Among them are state Rep. Josh Turek, a Paralympian wheelchair basketball player, state Sen. Zach Wahls, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce executive director Nathan Sage and Des Moines School Board Chair Jackie Norris.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa announced on Tuesday that she wouldn't seek re-election in the 2026 midterms. (Reuters)
Ernst, who announced on Tuesday that she wouldn't seek a third six-year term when she's up for re-election in 2026, first grabbed national attention in 2014 with her "make 'em squeal" ads as she won the high-profile Senate election in Iowa in the race to succeed retiring longtime Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.
"11 years ago, Iowans elected me as the first female combat veteran to the U.S. Senate, and they did so with a mission in mind – to make Washington squeal. And I’m proud to say we have delivered. We’ve cut waste, fraud, and abuse across the federal government."
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Hinson told Fox News that "Sen. Ernst is my friend. I look up to her, and you know, her efforts in the Senate. I think every Iowan is proud, and Iowa is so much better as a result of her leadership."
And looking ahead, she said "I absolutely would love to campaign side by side with with Joni."
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-rising-star-reveals-how-trumps-agenda-crucial-keeping-senate-seat-red-lands-key-endorsements