On the ballot

MARENGO — Congresswoman Ashley Hinson visits a lot of Main Streets and small businesses when she tours the 22 Iowa counties in her District, “And they are struggling right now,” Hinson said.

“I continue to hear about the burden that inflation puts on Iowa’s families.”

Hinson is running for reelection in U.S. House District 2, which includes Benton and Poweshiek Counties. She faces Democrat Sarah Corkery and Jody Puffett in the Nov. 5 General Election.

And though Iowa is in the middle of the United States, Iowans are concerned about illegal immigration, said Hinson. “I do still continue to hear about the border.”

Hinson was visiting a facility to talk about healthcare, and the staff brought up the subject of the border. The facility had to hire three new translators for illegal immigrants who are having babies, said Hinson.

“A state like Iowa has become a border state.”

“That’s what I continue to hear,” Hinson said. Voters are concerned about inflation and the southern border. People can’t afford four more years of this, she said.

During her first four years in Congress, Hinson focused on helping taxpayers while still providing needed services, she said. “I think we need to cut wasteful spending.”

Hinson wants to see investments in maternal health care and care for veterans with mental health issues in rural communities. She wants to extend the tax cuts that are set to expire in 2025 if Congress doesn’t act.

Based on the median income, the average Iowa family would see a tax increase of about 25% if the tax cuts expire, according to Hinson. That’s about seven weeks of groceries for a family of four, she said.

“I think we need to prioritize those tax cuts.”

Hinson said she’s unapologetically pro-life, she said, opposing abortion but supporting “common sense exceptions.”

“I think it’s important to fight for unborn babies,” Hinson said, but being pro-life includes issues other than abortion. She’s made maternal health a priority.

“We have six counties that don’t have a [maternal healthcare] provider,” said Hinson.

Hinson has supported over-the-counter birth control that women can access without a prescription, she said.

“This is the kind of stuff that comes up from Iowans in the District.”

“I think the most pro-life thing we can do is expand child care so people can continue working.” Hinson sees a lack of child care as an economic issue. If people are struggling to find affordable child care, they won’t be able to work, she said.

Hinson is a supporter of in vitro fertilization. “There are a lot of scare tactics [about IVF],” said Hinson. She’s focused on finding solutions for people who want to expand their families, she said.

The November election is about open borders and a world stage, said Hinson. Voters will decide if they want that or if they want closed borders and strength on a local stage.

Taxpayers will decide if they want money coming back to them or if they want tax dollars wasted on things that don’t benefit them, Hinson said.

An Iowa native, Hinson earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Southern California before returning to Iowa to work and raise a family.

Hinson was a reporter for KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids and is a two-time Midwest regional Emmy winner, an RTDNA Health Reporting Fellow and a Waypoint Tribute to Women honoree.

Hinson and her husband, Matt, are raising their two sons in Marion.

(“On the Ballot” is a Hometown Current series profiling candidates in Benton, Iowa and Poweshiek Counties. Articles will run as candidates are interviewed. Candidates who do not respond to requests for interviews will not be included in the series.)