Republican U.S. Senate candidate Ashley Hinson said she is calling for an "immediate and successful" end to the war in Iran as Iowans face rising gas prices fueled by the conflict.
Hinson, who represents Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, hosted a press conference at the GOP headquarters in Des Moines, where she called on Congress to suspend the gas tax, pause diesel exports, expand E15 and create a diesel rebate and relief program, as diesel prices hit record highs nationwide.
Hinson said she has put pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring Congress back in session.
"I think it was a mistake for them to cancel session," she said. "Every option should be on the table, and we should be in Washington, D.C., working to provide that relief right now, and I stand ready to jump on a plane as soon as they make that decision."
The move marks a shift in tone for Hinson and indicates she may be distancing herself from President Donald Trump, who has endorsed her and has low approval ratings, as she faces an increasingly competitive Senate race against Democrat Josh Turek.
A new Marist Poll released on Tuesday found Turek leading Hinson 50% to 42%. In August, the Cook Political Report changed the race's rating from "lean Republican" to a "toss up." The Real Clear Politics average of polls going back to Aug. 31 has Turek up by 0.4 points.
Last week, Hinson voted against a Democratic-backed resolution that would limit Trump’s powers in Iran, marking the seventh time she has voted against a resolution directing the president to end the conflict. Third District Rep. Zach Nunn and 1st District Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks were two of seven Republicans who broke with their party to vote with Democrats for the resolution.
Hinson also didn't attend a campaign event with Vice President JD Vance in Iowa last week, citing scheduling conflicts, and publicly disagreed with Trump's plan to import beef to combat rising prices, saying the move would hurt American ranchers.
Hinson said Friday that she will "work with anybody" to provide "immediate relief" to issues of affordability and warned against her opponent, Turek, who she said will raise taxes.
"The worst thing that we could do right now for affordability is to elect Josh Turek to the United States Senate and to give Democrats the Senate majority," she said.
At a roundtable event on affordability in Des Moines on Friday, Turek said Hinson's previous support for Trump's military action and support of his tariffs has hurt Iowans financially.
"Ashley Hinson has voted in favor of those tariffs five times. Then you've got the war in Iran, which I do believe Iowa has been hurt by more than any other state. We've lost three Iowans in the conflict. You've got gas going up more in Iowa than basically in any other state, diesel at an all-time high," he said.
Turek, a state representative from Council Bluffs, said he'd like to see Congress temporarily suspend the gas tax and exports on diesel and tap into strategic oil reserves to offer Iowans relief from record high diesel prices.
"I'm just hearing over and over and over folks telling me, 'I can't afford to keep gas in my tank,' or when we're with farmers, particularly as we're in harvest time, telling me they can't afford diesel," he said.
