U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson spoke to business owners and community members at the Greater Des Moines Partnership as part of the organization’s candidate forum series Oct. 16, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson won reelection to Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in the Tuesday general election according to the Associated Press, defeating Democratic challenger Sarah Corkery for the seat.
The AP called the race at 10:07 p.m. Tuesday after polls closed, with Hinson ahead with 57% of the vote to Corkery’s 42% according to unofficial results. Independent candidate Jody Puffett had just over 1%.
Hinson was first elected to office in 2020 to represent the 1st Congressional District prior to redistricting, defeating former Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer for the seat. Hinson won reelection in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District in 2022, defeating former Iowa Sen. Liz Mathis – her old coworker at KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids.
In addition to her time as a news anchor, Hinson also served a term in the Iowa House representing the 67th District after winning in the 2016 election.
Corkery came into the race without traditional political experience, but with a background advocating for disability rights and cancer research funding both in her community of Cedar Falls and on the federal stage. As a breast cancer survivor and mother of a child with a disability, Corkery made health care access a top issue heading into the 2024 election cycle.
The Democratic candidate said she decided to run because Hinson would not sponsor the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act, a measure the representative cosponsored shortly after Corkery joined the race. Corkery has also criticized Hinson for her stance on abortion, saying that she has made multiple moves in Congress showing support for a national ban with no exceptions, though the Iowa Republican said legislation restricting abortions requires exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother to get her support.
Hinson has focused on the impacts of inflation this election, tying it closely to President Joe Biden’s administration and calling for the extension of tax cuts passed under former President Donald Trump – the 2024 GOP presidential candidate. She has also called for a return to Trump-era policies on issues like immigration and U.S. border security during the election, claiming that undocumented immigrants are putting strains on Iowa’s resources.
While other races in the state – specifically, the battles for Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Districts – saw significant attention and spending this cycle as potential “swing” districts, the 2nd District was not considered competitive by most election forecasters.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, covering the northeast area of the state with cities like Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo, was designated by some analysts as a safely Republican area in the 2024 election. Before redistricting, former U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, a Republican, had held the seat from the 2014 election until his defeat in 2018 by Finkenauer.
One reason why the race was not considered as competitive as other areas in the state was because of its smaller fiscal footprint. Corkery raised about $470,000 in the 2024 election cycle as of Oct. 16 Federal Election Commission reports, while Hinson had raised more than $5.2 million.
Puffett, raised just over $30,000 according to the September FEC filings. Puffett ran as an independent candidate. The candidate said she has long identified as a Republican, but sought to challenge Hinson for the seat because of her 2024 decision to support sending $95 billion in foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
Corkery encouraged Republican voters who disagreed with Hinson’s decisions on issues like foreign aid to U.S. allies to support Puffett in the election.