National Republicans are planning to spend $29 million on behalf of U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson this summer and fall as they seek to keep Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat red.
The $29 million investment by the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC dedicated to electing Republicans to the U.S. Senate, is by far the largest announced in Iowa’s race to date.
Hinson, who represents northeast Iowa’s 2nd District in Congress, is running to replace retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst in Iowa’s first open Senate race since 2014.
Hinson faces former state Sen. Jim Carlin in the June 2 primary, but she is seen as the heavy favorite, with a large financial advantage and key endorsements, including from Ernst and President Donald Trump.
The Senate Leadership Fund’s planned spending in Iowa is part of a $342 million national effort in battleground states.
“Whether it’s fighting to lower the cost of living or standing tall for Iowa’s rural and farming communities, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson has the experience and grit to win tough battles,” the group’s executive director, Alex Latcham, said in a statement.
The spending will include ads on broadcast television, cable, streaming and radio, as well as text messaging, mail, field organizing and get out the vote activities, according to a news release.
“Beginning in the summer and running through Election Day, SLF’s advertising will expose the extraordinary obstruction and failures of the Democratic Party while highlighting Ashley Hinson and Senate Republicans’ plans to keep America safe, strong, and prosperous,” the group said in the news release.
The group’s announcement called Hinson “a proven winner and a strong ally of President Trump.”
Hinson won election to Congress in 2020, defeating a Democratic incumbent to flip the seat to Republican control, and is currently serving her third term.
Two Democrats — state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls — are competing for their party’s nomination in the June primary election.
Christyna Thompson, a spokesperson for Senate Majority PAC, which helps elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate, said the early spending announcement shows Republicans are nervous about their chances.
“When your record is circling the drain, your whole agenda is linked to an unpopular president and your best hope is an out-of-touch candidate like Hinson, you respond by trying to get ahead of the curve,” she said in a statement. “But we’ve seen this play before: GOP investing early in weak nominees just to burn millions in cash with nothing to show for it.”
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: National Republicans to spend $29 million in Iowa’s open Senate race
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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