A Finkenauer TV ad from 2018
State Representative Abby Finkenauer has won her primary to be the Democratic nominee for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. If she defeats incumbent Republican Rod Blum in November, at 28 she may well be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. Another young female candidate in California is running too, but no woman younger than Finkenauer has won a congressional seat before this year.
Finkenauer won her four-way primary in convincing fashion, capturing 67% of the vote. Thomas Heckroth came in second with 19%.
Iowa’s 1st District will be at the top of the target list for Democrats nationally. EMILY’s List endorsed Finkenauer early on and will likely pour substantial resources into the district for the general election. Joe Biden endorsed Finkenauer over the weekend; she worked at a young age on his 2008 Iowa Caucus campaign.
Finkenauer herself has already put together a strong campaign. She has impressed with her strong fundraising totals, bringing in $1.2 million for her candidacy so far. That’s particularly noteworthy for a younger candidate who doesn’t have a lifetime of donor connections to draw from.
Blum has been called the most vulnerable incumbent in Congress by several news outlets. But he was also seen as weak in his first reelection in 2016, only to end up winning by a comfortable eight-point margin. That year, Donald Trump flipped many counties in Northeast Iowa from blue to red. How well Democrats are able to win back some of those voters will likely determine Finkenauer’s success.
Finkenauer has specifically centered her campaign around working class family themes, highlighting her own blue collar roots in Dubuque.
She already has a good deal of legislative experience under her belt. She defeated several men in a Democratic primary in 2014 to win her first race for her Dubuque-based seat in the Iowa House.
The 1st Congressional District covers Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Cedar Falls/Waterloo, and many rural counties in Northeast Iowa.
by Pat Rynard
Posted 6/5/18
Advocates file suit to stop Iowa’s ‘unconstitutional’ immigration law
Immigration advocates filed a federal lawsuit Thursday to stop Iowa’s new immigration law—SF 2340—from taking effect arguing that the legislation...
Iowa joins lawsuit against feds over protections for LGBTQ students
New Title IX rules clarify that “sex discrimination” applies to discrimination based on gender identity. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Attorney General...
Opinion: Trump has shown he can’t keep Americans safe. In a second term, that could be disastrous.
As the 2024 campaign gears up, it’s worth emphasizing that being President of the United States is an extremely serious, uniquely high stakes job...
Biden’s EPA announces rules to slash coal pollution, speed up clean energy projects
The Biden administration last month announced a set of four final rules designed to reduce harmful pollution from power plants fired by fossil...
New Biden rules deliver automatic cash refunds for canceled flights, ban surprise fees
In the aftermath of a canceled or delayed flight, there’s nothing less appealing than spending hours on the phone waiting to speak with an airline...
Iowa Latinos rally to oppose new ‘unjust’ law targeting their community
Iowa's new anti-immigrant law is based on a Texas law that some argue is unconstitutional Jose Alvarado wasn’t shocked when Republicans in the Iowa...
