Iowa GOP Senate candidate calls for Iran war to end after voting six times to let Trump continue it

Rep. Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee for Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat, declared Monday that Iowans 'shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran' — a sharp departure from the Trump administration's stance on a conflict now entering its seventh month. The statement landed just days after Hinson voted against a House war powers resolution that would have directed President Trump to withdraw U.S. forces from Iran, her sixth such vote, including one cast the previous week.

Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. These actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end.— Rep. Ashley Hinson, Republican Senate candidate, Iowa

Along with calling for an end to hostilities, Hinson proposed a set of economic relief measures on X: suspending the federal gas tax, pausing diesel exports, expanding availability of E15 ethanol-blended fuel, and replenishing the highway trust fund.

Her Democratic opponent, Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, responded swiftly and directly, pointing to her voting record.

It's easy to send a tweet but when you had the chance to vote to end this war, you chose not to. You voted seven times to continue it, including just last week. It's time to actually end the forever wars and put Iowa and Iowans first.— Josh Turek, Democratic Senate candidate, Iowa

Turek's count of seven includes a vote by Hinson against a separate resolution to end U.S. hostilities in Lebanon as part of the broader Middle East conflict, according to NBC News. Hinson's campaign had not replied to a request for comment on her prior votes as of publication.

The war powers resolution Hinson voted against last Tuesday passed the House 220-204, with seven Republicans joining all Democrats present. Among those seven were two of Hinson's Iowa colleagues — Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks — who had voted against the previous five such measures but switched their positions. Each of them is seeking another term in a House district the Cook Political Report rates as a toss-up.

I will not vote to keep our soldiers in an open-ended war, with Iowans paying too much at the pump. The Iranian regime and its nuclear ambitions have been defanged. The president needs to present a plan to Congress and the American people for how this ends so we can focus on bringing our soldiers home and lowering prices.— Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa

Iowa has already paid a devastating price, including two service members killed by an Iranian drone in Kuwait. Congress owes them, their families and every American in uniform clear objectives and constitutional oversight. With the negotiating window closed, sustained combat operations now require congressional authorization.— Rep. Zach Nunn, R-Iowa

The two Iowa soldiers Nunn referenced — Maj. Jeffrey O'Brien, 45, of Waukee, and Sgt. Declan Coady, a 20-year-old Army Reservist and Drake University sophomore from West Des Moines — were among six servicemembers killed in a March 1 attack in Kuwait, according to the Des Moines Register.

Hinson's public shift on Monday is consistent with a pattern of gradual distancing from the Trump administration as her Senate race has tightened. Last month, the nonpartisan Cook Political Report moved the Iowa Senate race from 'lean Republican' to 'toss-up.' Democrats have not won a Senate race in Iowa since 2008, and Trump has carried the state in the last three presidential elections. Hinson is seeking the seat being vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst, who chose not to run again.

Audio of a May 28 campaign stop in Fort Dodge, Iowa, obtained by CBS News and first reported by Politico, shows Hinson had privately flagged the political risk of a prolonged conflict months earlier. Speaking with a voter, she said she hoped the war could be resolved within 'the next couple of weeks' and acknowledged what a longer conflict would mean.

If it drags on beyond that, it's a political liability for us too. Because we've lost Iowa soldiers. I've been to four funerals since December. It's awful.— Rep. Ashley Hinson, at a campaign stop in Fort Dodge, Iowa, May 28

In the same recording, Hinson said she was deferring to Trump and his foreign policy team on negotiations, and drew a firm line on one outcome: 'Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. At the end of the day, that's what I want to say on that.' She also described the families of fallen Iowa soldiers she had visited as unwavering, quoting them as saying, 'Those families all said we need to finish the job. Even in their grief.'

A Hinson spokesperson told CBS News that 'of course endless wars are unpopular — no one wants them and thankfully President Trump is doing everything he can to prevent one while keeping Americans safe.'

Hinson is not alone among Midwest Republican Senate candidates recalibrating on the war. On Tuesday, former Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee in Michigan, released a video calling for the conflict to end 'quickly,' proposing similar relief measures including a gas tax suspension and a temporary embargo on American diesel exports. His Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, posted a rebuttal on X, writing that Rogers had spent his 'entire campaign supporting the war in Iran' and calling him a 'liar, coward, fraud.'

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) offered a different frame on Sunday while campaigning for Sen. Pete Ricketts in Nebraska, predicting the U.S. will be 'out of' Iran within six months — even as the conflict is already approaching that mark. Kennedy acknowledged the war has driven up oil and fertilizer prices, according to The Hill.

According to Bloomberg Government, a Fox News survey published last week found that 71% of voters think the Trump administration 'lacks a clear strategy' for ending the conflict. The House is set to adjourn at the end of the week until November, making last Tuesday's vote the last opportunity for lawmakers to take action on the war before Election Day.

Why it matters — With the House adjourned until November and the Iowa Senate race now a toss-up, Hinson's split between her voting record and her public messaging on the Iran war illustrates the central tension facing Republicans in competitive races as Election Day approaches.

Sources differ on Number of times Hinson voted to continue the Iran war: Six votes against war powers resolutions on Iran (nbcnews.com) vs Seven votes, counting a separate resolution on U.S. hostilities in Lebanon (nbcnews.com (Turek's count))

Reported by thehill.com, nbcnews.com, news.bgov.com, usnews.com, desmoinesregister.com, cbsnews.com