Iowa’s two Republican U.S. Senate candidates are making their case to voters in the final days leading to the June 2 primary.
With early voting already underway, U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson and former state Sen. Jim Carlin are competing for the nomination to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst.
Hinson holds a large fundraising lead, as well as the endorsements of President Donald Trump, Ernst and Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The Republican nominee will face the winner of a Democratic primary between state Rep. Josh Turek and state Sen. Zach Wahls.
Ashley Hinson says she’s ‘willing to work with anyone’ on priorities for Iowa
Hinson wrapped up her campaign’s 99 county tour on May 18 with stops at a coffee shop, a body armor manufacturer and a farm.
She began the day at The Coffee Grounds in Albia, where she ordered a caramello latte — one of the cafe’s signature drinks.
“I think we started at, was it a potato chip maker?” Hinson said of the 99 county tour. “So, I’m eating and drinking my way through the state.”
Hinson often describes herself as a “minivan driving mom,” and she drew laughs from the staff of The Coffee Grounds comparing her teenage sons to members of Congress.
“I joke about this all the time. Being a teenage boy mom is really the best training for serving in Congress,” she said. “Because it is about patience. You’re negotiating with unreasonable people all the time. And they smell bad.”
Hinson said she approaches policy making in Washington, D.C., with her “common sense hat,” which is informed by her experiences as a mom and a former journalist.
“I just this morning dropped my kids off at school before I hit the road, and on the way here, one of them’s texting me, ‘Mom, I need lunch money in my account,'” she told the Des Moines Register. “So, I’m filling that literally in the car on the way here. So I face the same challenges as working parents in this state, and I bring that perspective to how I govern in Washington.”
She said she’s been able to get her bills signed into law, including under Democratic President Joe Biden. And she’s used her role on the Appropriations Committee to direct investments to Iowa “while still making sure we’re cutting wasteful spending out of our federal budget.”
“I’m willing to work with anyone who will work with me to get Iowa’s priorities across the finish line,” she said. “I’ve had the ability to serve in the majority here in Iowa and in Washington, D.C., but also I served in the minority, and what I think I have proven is that I’m a common sense, effective leader who has taken Iowans’ stories and converted those into good, meaningful policy.”
Hinson launched her campaign promising to be Trump’s “top ally in the United States Senate.” She regularly touts her vote for Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which included tax cuts on tips and overtime pay.
“What I have tried to do as a member of Congress, and hopefully will continue to do in the United States Senate, is focus on policies that are going to make life more affordable in the long run for Iowans, returning as many taxpayer dollars as we can,” she said.
Hinson said she’s also picked up ideas from Iowans while campaigning on her 99 county tour, such as a proposal she introduced to create tax-advantage accounts that people can use to save money for a down payment on a home.
“That idea came about on this tour, actually, and then I introduced that bill in Washington, D.C.,” she said. “So I think, no matter where I travel in the state, I would say that I continue to get good ideas from Iowans, and I look forward to continuing that approach to governing.”
Jim Carlin says he’s focused his legislative work on seniors, veterans, children
Carlin has pitched himself as the true conservative in the race, despite lacking Trump’s endorsement. Instead, he’s touted the endorsement of retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who briefly served as national security adviser during Trump’s first term.
At a campaign event at 1908 Draught House in Norwalk on May 13, Carlin told the crowd about working in the Iowa Senate to investigate wrongdoing at the Iowa Veterans Home, pushing for the state’s six-week abortion ban and sponsoring early versions of a bill restricting transgender people from using bathrooms that do not align with their sex at birth.
“The work I’ve done, including work on a senior property tax freeze, was about you,” he said. “It’s about seniors, it’s about veterans, it’s about children and protecting them. And right now, I don’t think the government is serving us. I think it’s actually working against the economic interests of the middle class.”
Carlin points to the high costs of housing, health care and student loans as three areas that are harming Americans economically.
“I think the root causes can be laid at the doorstep of the Federal Reserve in the housing sector, Obamacare causing enormous harm to the health care sector and our young college people having to pay basically twice the money, twice the interest and compounding the interest to where a college education now looks a lot more like indentured servitude,” he said.
Carlin told the Des Moines Register he would be “a much better ally to President Trump than Ashley Hinson has been.”
He attributes Trump’s endorsement of Hinson to “practical politics” as Trump seeks to work with Senate Majority Leader John Thune to pass his agenda.
“He’s a busy man. I don’t know that he’s privy to all the inside baseball of assessing candidates for the Senate and Congress,” Carlin said of Trump. “But as a practical matter, when John Thune decided to endorse Ashley Hinson, President Trump is going to get on board with that because he has to do business with John Thune.”
Hinson has a significant fundraising advantage over Carlin. She’s raised $8.2 million since launching her campaign last September, compared with the $461,000 Carlin has raised.
And Hinson had $6 million cash on hand at the end of the most recent reporting period, compared with $12,000 for Carlin.
Carlin criticized Hinson for accepting money from out of state donors and from Summit Carbon Solutions cofounder Bruce Rastetter, a major Republican donor whose carbon pipeline project is controversial for its proposed use of eminent domain.
Carlin has loaned himself $325,000 over the course of his campaign, accounting for most of his fundraising.
“I understand that she has a lot more money,” he said. “But here’s the problem: She hasn’t done any work at all on the campaign trail.”
Carlin has criticized Hinson for not agreeing to debate him and for not appearing at more events where Republicans and members of the public have a chance to ask her questions.
“There has been very little if any face to face contact or any opportunity for Iowans to question and ask her about some of her controversial votes,” he said.
Hinson said she’s “proud to have President Trump’s endorsement” in the race and said she’s focused on “getting out and meeting with Iowans all over the state.”
“Iowans know where I stand, because I have been transparent and accessible,” she said. “I’ve done 47 in person, public town halls since I took office. So my answer to that is, I’ve already been out across the state, answered Iowans’ questions. They know where I stand, and I’m laser focused on beating whatever Democrat comes out of the primary in June.”
Stephen Gruber-Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com, by phone at 515-284-8169 or on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What sets apart Ashley Hinson and Jim Carlin in Iowa’s US Senate race
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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