Ashley Hinson, a first-term congresswoman from Iowa, may be the next big star that Republicans desperately need to rise through their ranks.
Hinson has done a good job thus far of maintaining the balance between supporting conservative ideals and balancing the interests of a swing legislative district.
Hinson voted against the recent “Bipartisan Safer Communities Act” gun bill that passed through the House last month and the “Women's Health Protection Act” which would have allowed for the Democrats to further push their “abortion on demand” agenda. However, Hinson also introduced legislation to allow adult women to access over-the-counter birth control pills and voted for the Respect for Marriage Act to codify the Supreme Court's decisions on both interracial and gay marriage into law.
As a midwestern mom of two young boys, Hinson knows firsthand the struggles that average American families face.
Earlier this year, Hinson joined GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik in a Fox News segment to blast the Biden administration's inaction on the baby formula crisis.
Last year, Hinson publicly weighed in on the race for GOP conference chair — backing Stefanik — after Liz Cheney's fallout with Republican leaders both in her home state of Wyoming and in Washington, D.C.
That wasn't much of a surprise, as Stefanik endorsed Hinson during her first run for Congress in 2020.
With a background as a local Northeast Iowa TV news reporter, Hinson is a natural in front of the camera — and Republicans aren't afraid to use her messaging chops to their advantage.
Still, Hinson recently dodged questions about her future plans:
“My priority is my district, so that's my focus,” Hinson said in an interview, before declining to get into a yes-or-no question about her interest in seeking the role. “I'm focused on being a really good appropriator … and I am making sure that I am standing up for Iowa's priorities.”
Still, Politico reported earlier this week that Hinson has a fan in Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy:
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the uncontested frontrunner for speaker if the majority flips, said he could see Hinson on the GOP leadership team because “she's a natural in that perspective.”
“When she walks into the room, people look to her for leadership,” the California Republican added in an interview last week, praising Hinson as policy-focused, talented on TV, intelligent and an all-around good person.
And asked about her as a future conference chair — with the caveat that it only applies if Stefanik pursues another senior post instead — McCarthy said: “Her talents go right there.”
First, Hinson must win reelection with Iowa voters in a congressional district that has been a swing seat in recent elections. Republican Rod Blum held the seat before being defeated by Abby Finkenauer. She was only a one-term representative before Hinson won the seat back into Republican hands.
Redistricting seems to have played into Hinson's hands, as Iowa's new Second Congressional District (the former First District) is now rated R+4. In 2020, the First District, which Hinson was elected to represent contained the largest number of pivot counties — ones that voted for Obama twice and then flipped to Trump — than any other congressional seat in the country.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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