I have watched politicians run from their records for decades. I have rarely seen one sprint with such unseemly desperation. Ashley Hinson is now running for the Senate in Iowa. She is trailing badly. Consequently, she has discovered a sudden horror of Trump’s war on Iran. She says Iowans are being “squeezed” and “shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line”. That is rich coming from a woman who voted seven times to keep the meter running.
In private, she admitted the war is a “political liability” because “we’ve lost Iowa soldiers”. In public, she downplayed its impact entirely. She told voters the war is “thousands of miles away” and “out of sight, out of mind for so many Americans”. Now she plays the victim of high prices she helped create. Moreover, her conversion is not moral. It is mathematical. She saw the polls turning against her. She heard the anger at the pump. Then, she decided to speak. I do not respect that timing. I do not respect that convenience.
Seven Votes She Cannot Erase
Let me state the facts with military precision. Hinson voted against ending Trump’s war on Iran seven times. She did this while the war killed two Iowans. Major Jeffrey O’Brien, 45, of Waukee was a Signal Corps Officer assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command. Sergeant Declan Coady of West Des Moines was a twenty-year-old Drake University sophomore. Both died on March 1, 2026, in a drone strike on Port Shuaiba, Kuwait. Therefore, her sudden concern for Iowa families is obscene. She voted to keep those coffins coming home.
Now, she asks those same families for a promotion. Furthermore, her seventh vote came just weeks ago. The House passed a war powers resolution 220-204. Seven Republicans joined the Democrats. Two of them were Iowa Representatives Zach Nunn and Marianette Miller-Meeks. She stood alone among Iowa Republicans with the war party. That is not leadership. That is cowardice dressed in campaign rhetoric.
The Absurdity of “Immediate and Successful”
Hinson now says she told President Trump the war—Trump’s war on Iran—needs an “immediate and successful end”. I have commanded soldiers in combat. I know what those words actually mean. “Immediate” means you vote to stop it. “Successful” is the language of a public relations firm. In reality, she refuses to support a war powers resolution that would force the issue.
At the debate, she said “we don’t need another resolution on the House floor”. She claimed “the president and the U.S. military can bring it to the end”. When pressed, she balked. She explicitly said she “would continue to vote against a War Powers Resolution”. She even cited the Afghanistan withdrawal as her excuse. Consequently, she wants the rhetoric of peace without the risk of achieving it. That is not a plan. That is a posture.
The Price Iowa Pays for Her Ambition
Trump’s war on Iran, which she enabled, has devastated my state. Gas prices in Iowa jumped 69 percent, tied for the largest increase in the nation. Iowans have paid an extra $815.8 million since the war began. The typical household has paid an extra $573.66 in 2026 alone. Diesel hit a record $6.50 per gallon during harvest. Fertilizer prices are near peak levels. The total war cost is approaching $40 billion.
Meanwhile, Hinson has raked in over $217,000 from oil and gas companies, including $38,500 since the war started. Those donors saw record profits of up to $14 billion from this war. She also took $204,000 from pro-Israel lobby funding.
And while Iowa farmers are “getting absolutely hammered” by fuel costs, Hinson has gotten as much as $8 million richer since coming to Congress. She took their money. She voted for their war. Then, she saw the polls. Now, she feels your pain. That is not representation. That is a transaction.
The Contempt She Deserves
I hold Ashley Hinson in absolute contempt. I do not say that lightly. I say it as a soldier who has buried friends. I say it as an Iowan who watches his neighbors struggle. She is not a critic of Trump’s war on Iran. She is an enabler who arrived late to the funeral. She admitted she has been to four funerals since December.
Yet, she kept voting for the war that filled those caskets. She has not held a single in-person town hall since launching her Senate campaign, despite promising to do so. She is hiding from the people she claims to serve. Moreover, her desperation is now comical. During her “Fighting for Iowa” bus tour, she pleaded with supporters: “Help give us a little gas money for our bus”. When NBC News asked if things were really that bad, she deflected with her “commonsense mom” line.
A commonsense mom would not vote seven times to keep a war that kills young Iowans and bankrupts Iowa farmers. She is not a commonsense mom. She is a career politician in a panic.
The Reckoning Iowans Must Deliver
So what should the people of Iowa do? They should remember the seven votes she cast to sustain Trump’s war on Iran. They should remember O’Brien and Coady. They should remember the $815.8 million and the empty promises. Hinson had seven chances to stand with the Constitution.
She chose the war party every single time. Therefore, I urge every Iowan to retire her from public life. Send her back to television. Send her back to whatever comfortable future awaits a politician who traded young lives for a Senate seat. The race is a toss-up. An October Marist poll showed Turek leading 48 to 45 percent. The Cook Political Report calls it a dead heat. VoteVets spent $1.6 million against her because of her war votes.
Even the top GOP Senate super PAC is sounding the alarm. That is not an accident. Iowans are paying attention. They see the contradiction. They know a fraud when they see one. I have rendered my verdict. Now, Iowa must render hers.