Democratic state Sen. Liz Mathis says voters in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District should send her to Washington because Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson has been on the wrong side of several pieces of legislation that will help Iowans.
“She’s been voting the wrong way. She’s been saying no to a lot of things where she should be saying yes,” Mathis said Saturday at the Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
Mathis cited the 2021 infrastructure bill, which is estimated to bring about $5 billion in projects to Iowa.
“And invest in 4,000 endangered bridges, fix those. Fix roads. Fix broadband. Not only the quality, but the quantity, to expand that,” she said.
Mathis repeated a past criticism that Hinson voted against the bill and then took credit for a project funded with some of its money – upgrading locks and dams on the Mississippi River. Hinson did vote against the bill and then signed onto a request that some of the funding be used on the river. Politifact reported that in a Jan. 20 call with Iowa reporters, Hinson said the money was going to be spent, so Iowa should get its share.
"If there’s federal money on the table, do you think I’m going to sit back and let that go to states like California and New York? Hell no. I’m going to make sure as much of it comes back to Iowa," Politifact quoted Hinson saying.
Hinson has said she voted against the bill because it was tied to social spending that she opposed.
Mathis cited the recently-signed Inflation Reduction Act as another piece of legislation that will help Iowans, and that Hinson opposed. Hinson declined an invitation to speak at the soapbox during this year’s fair.
