Dubuque pastor and state Rep. Lindsay James to run against US Rep. Ashley Hinson

Iowa state legislator Lindsay James is the third Democrat to challenge the northeast Iowa congresswoman in a race pitting kitchen-table economics against Republican messaging. 

State Rep. Lindsay James said her “why” begins with a constituent she met on a porch. The man lived in a mobile home park in her Dubuque district, and rising rent was forcing him to make an impossible choice: pay for housing or pay for insulin; keep his home or keep his foot.

“That was the reality he was facing,” James told Iowa Starting Line. That session, she coauthored a bill to cap insulin prices. Despite sharing the bill with a Republican colleague, she hit a wall with House Republican leadership. The bill never made it out of committee.

“ I had this moment in the Legislature where I was looking around and I thought to myself, Where are the advocates for everyday Iowans?” she said. “Where are the people who are fighting for my constituents who are struggling to afford insulin and rent?””

On Tuesday, James launched her campaign for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, making her the third Democrat to challenge Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson. James joins Kathy Dolter and Clint Twedt-Ball in the Democratic primary. As Iowa House Minority Whip—the second-ranking Democrat in the legislature—she sets herself apart with deep policymaking experience. 

By trade, James is an ordained Presbyterian minister who spent years as a college chaplain before entering politics in 2018. She invoked the parable of the Good Samaritan to explain why Hinson’s support for a tax bill—which will shake up local hospital budgets and leave an estimated 86,000 Iowans uninsured—doesn’t live up to her religion’s call to serve others.

“The powerful walk by. They look the other way,” James said. “That’s exactly what Ashley Hinson is doing right now, walking by, looking the other way. And my faith compels me to step up and lend a hand.”

Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District covers 22 counties in northeast Iowa from Decorah to Grinnell, including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, and Dubuque. Election forecasters do not consider the district in play in 2026 Hinson runs. Cook Political Report considers it a safe district for Republicans. Sabato’s Crystal Ball and Inside Elections with Nathan Gonzales both set it as a likely Republican seat.

Hinson is a formidable opponent. The former television news anchor raised over $5 million in her last campaign and has positioned herself as a rising star in the House Republican caucus. She serves on the Agriculture Committee and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition with China—assignments that matter to Iowa farmers and workers. 

But the midterm is likely to favor Democrats up and down the ticket. And Hinson has been forced to make some tough votes in order to maintain support from Trump. Iowa is a tremendous producer of wind and solar energy, therefore many jobs are tied up in a sector the Trump’s tax and spending package took away a tax credit for. 

Cedar Rapids’ Iron Workers Local 89 Business Manager Seth Gorman said with the new tax bill his sector which benefits from high-wage wind jobs.

“The problem is those jobs are starting to slow down,” he said.