Republican challenger Ashley Hinson upset Democrat incumbent Rep. Abby Finkenauer to win Iowa’s 1st Congressional District on Election Day.
Hinson, previously a Republican state representative, was able to boot the single-term congresswoman only two years after she was a part of the historic 2018 class that helped bring Democrats back into the majority.
BREAKING: Republican Ashley Hinson wins election to U.S. House in Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, beating incumbent Rep. Abby Finkenauer. #APracecall at 9:37 a.m. CST. #Election2020 #IAelection https://t.co/lGfinjTqT4
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) November 4, 2020
Iowans rode a blue wave in 2018, electing Finkenauer and Rep. Cindy Axne of Iowa’s 3rd District, upsetting two Republican incumbents at the time. Both faced difficult battles to retain their seats, and both parties closely watched what would happen with the pair of first-term congresswomen.
In the presidential election, the Associated Press declared President Trump the winner of the state’s six Electoral College votes. In 2016, Iowa went red for President Trump, a dramatic turnaround from President Barack Obama’s victory in the Hawkeye State by a 52% to 46% margin over Republican rival Mitt Romney.
In addition to facing hardship amid the coronavirus pandemic, many Iowans were devastated by the massive windstorm, known as a derecho, in August. The storm brought winds of more than 100 miles per hour, and it damaged approximately 14 million acres of insured crops, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.
