Campaign Almanac: Hinson submits re-election signatures

DES MOINES — Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson made her re-election campaign official Monday, submitting more than 6,600 nominating signatures to the Iowa Secretary of State’s office, according to a news release.

Hinson, 38, a former television journalist in Cedar Rapids, is finishing her first, two-year term in Eastern Iowa’s 1st Congressional District. After redistricting, she will run for re-election in the new 2nd District.

“Today, we are sending a clear message that Iowans want to keep this seat red and, together, we will win again in November,” Hinson said in the news release.

GROUP ENDORSES DEJEAR: The Iowa Unity Coalition, a PAC that supports progressive candidates for office in Iowa, endorsed Democrat Deidre DeJear for governor.

DeJear is the lone active Democrat running to face Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds.

“Deidre is passionate about providing the best schools for our children and making health care as well as mental health care affordable and accessible, especially in Iowa’s rural areas where resources are sometimes hard to find,” Iowa Unity Coalition chair Mitch Henry said in a news release from the DeJear campaign.

The Iowa Unity Coalition describes itself as “dedicated to building political power within our diverse and underrepresented communities at every level of government.”

KINNEY SEEKS RE-ELECTION: Iowa Sen. Kevin Kinney, D-Oxford, is seeking re-election to a third term in the new Iowa Senate District 46, which includes parts of Johnson, Washington, and Iowa counties.

In his announcement, Kinney highlighted his work with the Republican majority to pass “Noah’s Law,” which closed a loophole by requiring people to report a known injury or death to authorities. The bill was in response to the drowning of Tiffin resident Noah Herring in April 2020. Kinney also was part of the effort to create the Office of Human Trafficking within the Department of Public Safety, increase penalties for elder abuse, expand the threshold for tax credits for beginning farmers, and allow for the growing of industrial hemp.

“I am running for reelection to continue my bipartisan work in the Legislature and to improve public safety, provide justice for crime victims, and help build an economy where hardworking Iowans can get ahead,” said Kinney, 58, a farmer and retired Johnson County sheriff’s deputy.

Gazette Des Moines Bureau