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Campaign Almanac: CNN contributor and GOP strategist to headline Ashley Hinson’s ‘BBQ Bash’
Also, another Democrat announces bid for Iowa's Fourth Congressional District
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Scott Jennings, a national conservative commentator and Republican political strategist, will headline Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson’s fifth annual “BBQ Bash” campaign fundraiser Aug. 23 at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, her campaign announced Monday.
Hinson, a former TV news anchor and state lawmaker, was first elected to the seat in 2020, ousting then-Democratic incumbent Abby Finkenauer. She won re-election in 2022 and 2024 and is serving in her third term.
Iowa’s 22-county 2nd Congressional District includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque and Mason City.
Hinson, 42, of Marion, has not officially announced a formal re-election campaign, but earlier this year ruled out running in Iowa's open gubernatorial race, citing a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" with Republican control of Congress and the presidency.
She raised more than $850,000 in the second quarter of 2025 and has more than $2.8 million cash on hand.
Kathy Dolter, a U.S. Army veteran and former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, has filed paperwork to run as a Democrat to challenge Hinson for the northeast Iowa U.S. House seat in 2026. State Rep. Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque, said she is “seriously considering” launching a campaign to seek her party’s nomination to challenge Hinson for the congressional seat.
Jennings is a founding partner of RunSwitch Public Relations, a public relations and public affairs firm in Louisville, Kentucky, is an on-air political commentator on CNN and writes columns for several outlets, including USA Today, the Los Angeles Times and Louisville Courier-Journal, among others.
He served in key roles in both of former President George W. Bush’s campaigns before becoming a special assistant to the president in 2005, serving under top Bush strategist Karl Rove. A former TV news anchor and reporters in Louisville, Jennings also advised the campaigns of Mitt Romney in 2012 and Jeb Bush in 2016.
“Known for his razor-sharp wit and unshakeable loyalty to the truth, Jennings has quickly become the sole reason conservatives can stomach tuning into CNN — where he regularly disarms media narratives with both precision and unintended humor,” according to Hinson’s campaign.
Hinson, in a statement, said she is excited to welcome Jennings to Iowa “to talk about President Trump’s fight to restore common sense in this country and our work every day to Make America Great Again.”
Republican U.S. Reps. Jim Jordan, of Ohio, a close ally of President Donald Trump and a founding member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, and Tom Emmer, of Minnesota, who serves as House Majority Whip, were featured speakers at last year’s “BBQ Bash.”
Both Jordan and Emmer were contenders for House speaker in the scramble to succeed Kevin McCarthy, who was removed from the role in a historic ouster in 2023.
Tickets are $40. Kids age 12 and under, active duty law enforcement and military get in free.
Tickets can be purchased at ashleyhinson.com/BBQ.
Nurse announces bid for western Iowa U.S. House seat
A Sutherland Democrat is launching her campaign for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District, joining a crowded field of candidates.
Stephanie Steiner, a 43-year-old nurse, mother and grandmother announced this past week that she's running as a Democratic candidate for the Fourth District which encompasses 36 counties and includes cities such as Sioux City, Council Bluffs and Marshalltown.
The seat is currently held by Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, who is seeking the Iowa governorship after Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she will not seek re-election next year.
Steiner is the second woman to throw her hat into the ring on the Democratic side after Storm Lake resident Ashley WolfTornabane declared earlier this month.
"I'm running for Congress in Iowa's 4th District because I've lived the struggles so many politicians only talk about," Steiner said. "I'm not backed by corporate PACs. I'm not a political insider. I'm a nurse, mother and a lifelong advocate for justice who's ready to fight like hell for the people too often left out of the conversation. I've spent my life listening to those in pain — patients, workers, families just trying to survive. I've seen how inequality, corruption and cruelty take root when leaders stop listening. That ends now."
In the campaign, Steiner said she intends to prioritize: "protecting our kids, investing in public schools, rebuilding rural health care (and) putting people over politics." Through Saturday afternoon, a donation page on her campaign website showed she had to receive any online funds.
The 4th Congressional District leans heavily toward Republican voters with registered, active Republican voters outnumbering Democrats by more than 192,000, according to the latest state voter registration data.
Ryan Melton, who was the district’s Democratic candidate in 2022 and 2024, briefly considered a third run earlier this year but suspended his campaign in June due to recent job loss and personal matters.
Republicans who have joined the race so far include Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl of Missouri Valley, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan of Sioux and Kyle Larsen, a farmer and land appraiser from Humboldt.
Bohannan announces slate of endorsements from Iowa Democrats
Current and former Iowa Democratic Party leaders and officeholders have endorsed Christina Bohannan’s campaign to once gain try to flip southeast Iowa’s congressional seat.
Bohannan, a University of Iowa law professor and former state representative, is seeking to challenge Republican Iowa U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks for a third time.
Miller-Meeks has survived two close elections and national Democrats have once again targeted Iowa's 1st Congressional District as a potential pickup in the 2026 midterm elections. The 20-county district includes the cities of Davenport, Iowa City, Burlington and Indianola.
Bohannan’s campaign recently announced a slate of endorsements from well-known Democrats in the state, including Ruth Harkin, a trailblazing attorney, corporate executive and wife of former Iowa U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin.
Former U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack, a Democrat from Mount Vernon who previously represented much of the district, also has again endorsed Bohannan in her campaign for Congress in Iowa's 1st Congressional District. Loebsack has expressed his support for Bohannan's candidacy on multiple occasions, citing her background and her commitment to fighting for working families.
Former Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller also endorsed Bohannan’s campaign. The 40-year Democratic incumbent and longest serving state attorney general in U.S. history was ousted in the 2022 election by Republican Brenna Bird.
Others endorsing Bohannan’s campaign include: Democratic former Iowa Lt. Governor and former Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Patty Judge; Iowa House Minority Leader Brian Meyer of Des Moines; Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner of Iowa City; former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Sue Dvorsky; former state Sen. Bob Dvorsky of Coralville; state Rep. and former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Ross Wilburn of Ames; former Iowa Democratic Party Chair Dr. Andy McGuire; and Democratic state lawmakers from Clinton, Jackson, Johnson and Scott counties.
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
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