Hinson unveils her first ad in Iowa’s U.S. Senate campaign

Hinson Opens Senate Campaign Messaging Veterans and Healthcare

Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson has released the first ad of her U.S. Senate campaign leaning heavily into veterans’ care, healthcare costs and congressional stock trading.

In the ad, titled “Believe,” Hinson says, “Our veterans deserve a hell of a lot better, health care companies are ripping you off, and members of Congress should not trade stocks.” She also says she has worked across party lines to expand mental health care for veterans and is working with President Trump to take on insurance companies.

Hinson is expected to be the leading Republican candidate for the open Iowa Senate seat after Sen. Joni Ernst announced she would not seek re-election. Sioux City attorney Jim Carlin is also seeking the Republican nomination, while Democrats Josh Turek and Zach Wahls are running for their party’s nomination. Iowa’s primary election is scheduled for June 2, with the general election set for Nov. 3.

Our Take

Hinson’s ad asks Iowans to believe her words. But voters should watch what she does.

It is one thing to say veterans “deserve a hell of a lot better.” It is another thing to stand with Donald Trump while his administration cuts the very workforce that provides care to veterans. The VA itself announced it was on pace to reduce staff by nearly 30,000 employees by the end of fiscal year 2025, and Reuters reported the reductions followed a broader Trump effort to shrink the department.

That is not an abstraction. VA staffing means appointment access, mental health services, claims processing, specialty care, suicide prevention support and help for veterans who already face a system that can be hard to navigate. If veterans deserve better, then cutting capacity at the VA is the wrong direction.

The contradiction grows sharper when Hinson’s support for Trump’s Iran policy is included. Hinson publicly backed Trump’s military action against Iran, and Iowa’s congressional delegation voted against limiting U.S. bombardment of Iran. Meanwhile, thousands of additional U.S. troops have been sent to the Middle East as the conflict continues and the cost of the war climbs. That is the old Washington pattern: praise the troops, support another Middle East war, then cut or strain the systems that veterans depend on when they come home.

Hinson’s healthcare message has the same problem. She says healthcare companies are ripping people off, but she supported the Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which included major Medicaid cuts. Iowa Public Radio reported that the bill could significantly reduce the number of Iowans on Medicaid, while later reporting and analysis have tied the law to broader pressure on rural healthcare systems. That matters in Iowa because rural hospitals and rural clinics do not operate in a fantasy world of campaign slogans. Medicaid dollars help keep doors open, staff employed and basic services available. When federal healthcare support is cut, rural Iowa feels it.

So when Hinson says she is taking on healthcare companies, voters should ask a simple question: how does cutting Medicaid help patients more than it helps the private healthcare and insurance systems already squeezing them?

The ad is designed to sound independent, compassionate and practical. But Hinson’s congressional record shows loyalty to Trump policies that have been harmful to veterans, healthcare access and rural communities. So the question is “How stupid does she think Iowans are?”

The Hinson campaign will likely feature many polished statements about veterans, affordability and healthcare. But the test is not what Hinson says in a campaign ad. The test is what she has supported in Congress. And on veterans’ care, Medicaid, rural healthcare and war, the record is not nearly as friendly as the commercial.