# Ashley Hinson **Ashley Hinson** is a U.S. Representative from Iowa (IA-02, since 2021) and the 2026 Republican nominee for the open U.S. Senate seat being vacated by the retiring [[Joni Ernst]]. A former state legislator and television news anchor, she won the GOP primary with [[Donald Trump]]'s endorsement and total Trump alignment. ## 2026 Senate race See [[IA-Sen-2026]] for full race context. The seat is rated Likely Republican, but 2026 has produced the closest Iowa Senate polling in over a decade. - **General-election opponent**: State Rep. Josh Turek (D), a Paralympic gold medalist who won the June 2 Democratic primary over state Sen. Zach Wahls (~62.6%–37.4%). - **Fundraising**: ~$1.68M raised, ~$6.5M cash on hand (Q1 2026) — well-capitalized. - **Polling warning sign**: April 2026 Echelon Insights showed Democrats leading Hinson — Wahls 46/Hinson 44 and Turek 46/Hinson 45 (MOE ±6.6%) — the first time in over a decade a Democrat has led a public Iowa Senate poll. - Democrats frame her as a "Trump-tariff apologist" amid farm-economy strain; Hinson has pushed federal legislation to protect contraception access, a defensive move on the post-Dobbs birth-control wedge. ## Background Built a public profile as a Cedar Rapids TV anchor before entering the Iowa legislature, then flipping IA-01/IA-02 for Republicans. A reliable leadership-aligned and Trump-aligned vote in the House. ## Why she matters for the KB Hinson is the test of whether a safely Republican farm state stays safe under tariff-driven agricultural stress. Her race tracks the 2026 farm-economy backlash and the contraception/Dobbs wedge that Republicans are now playing defense on. ## Related - [[IA-Sen-2026]] - [[Joni Ernst]] - [[Donald Trump]]