Republican in tough election fight calls for 'immediate' end to Trump’s war

U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) — who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst — has a history of voting with President Donald Trump more often than not, including signing off on his Big, Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. But Hinson, with the 2026 midterms roughly one and a half months away, is trying to show some independence from Trump. And now, the conservative congresswoman is calling an "immediate" end to Trump's war with Iran.

In a Monday morning post on X, Hinson wrote, "Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn't have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran. We need to use every option at our disposal to provide some relief from high prices. That includes suspending the gas tax, pausing diesel exports, unleashing E-15 everywhere we can, reinstating the $1/gallon biodiesel tax credit, and creating a diesel relief program to help our farmers and truckers being crushed by the high costs. While doing this, we should also ensure our highway trust fund is replenished, so that Iowans don't suffer from crumbling roads and bridges while relief comes our way now."

Hinson continued, "These actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end. I am working every day to deliver bipartisan results for Iowans and I will work with anyone who is ready to tackle this challenge immediately."

More than six and a half months ago, in late February, Trump launched a war against Iran. Trump promised a quick, brief military operation, but the conflict is showing no signs of wrapping up. And Trump's war is leading to higher fuel prices at a time when inflation is a major source of frustration for voters.

Although Trump won Iowa in 2016, 2020 and 2024, Democratic strategists believe they have a shot at flipping the U.S. Senate seat Ernst presently holds and are feeling optimistic about their nominee Josh Turek.

In order to regain control of the U.S. Senate, Democrats will need to flip at least four GOP-held seats while holding all of the seats they are defending. And they believe that Iowa's U.S. Senate race is in play for them. An Emerson College/Nexstar Media poll released earlier this month showed Hinson with a 5 percent lead over Turek, but in a recent YouGov poll, Turek had a 2 percent lead over Hinson.