President Donald Trump told Iowans to “pretend [he] is on the ballot” in the November election, a message that may test Republican Senate candidate Ashley Hinson’s campaign strategy, which has seemingly focused on presenting her as more independent. Trump rallied for Hinson, who is in a race against Democratic state Representative Josh Turek, and other Republican candidates defending three House districts and the governor's office in Sioux City on Thursday. He told the crowd: "Pretend I'm on the ballot, because if you get out, we're going to win big.” This close alignment may present a challenge, for “some Republican officeholders are concerned that the base might be less than enthusiastic about the election and might stay home,” political professor Timothy Hagle previously told Newsweek.
While Representative Hinson has not totally turned her back on Trump, who endorsed her last September, she has put some distance between her and the administration, making it clear that she is prepared to challenge it when necessary. Most recently, she said she planned to tell Trump his diesel deal with Russia is a “bad idea.” It comes after she called for an end to the war in Iran last month, a departure from her own voting record, and spoke out against Iowans being “squeezed” economically, saying they should have to bear the brunt of the costs. While Trump carried the state by 13 percentage points in 2024, the agricultural heartland of America has been hard hit by the impacts of Trump’s tariff wars and the knock-on effects the conflict in Iran has had on the price of gas, making Iowa one of this year's most crucial races in determining who gets control of the U.S.
Hinson, who appeared alongside Trump at Thursday’s rally, told supporters: "If we lose this seat here in Iowa, the Democrats will control the US Senate. Mark my words.” Newsweek has contacted Hinson’s campaign and the White House, via email, for comment. Trump has a negative approval rating in Iowa, according to a recent Marist Poll that questioned 1,100 registered voters between October 8 and October 11.
Some 44 percent said they approved of the job Trump was doing as president while 53 percent said they disapprove. The survey reports a margin of error of +/-4.5 percentage points. Some 44 percent said Trump is not much of a factor in their vote for Congress, a majority of whom approve of his performance, while 35 percent said their congressional ballot is a vote against Trump, compared with 21 percent for him.
Iowan Ron Sitzmann, a 73-year-old semi-retired parts and service director for an automotive company, who was at Trump’s rally, said he still supports the president. "The only thing is the fuel prices that are hurting him more than anything,” Sitzmann told , adding that he thinks the issue will go away when the war ends. "I just wish it would happen sooner than later because it’s kind of dragging on," he said.
The day before Trump’s Iowa rally, Hinson spoke about Trump's deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin – the two have agreed to supply millions of tons of diesel fuel to global markets, saying the arrangement would help lower fuel prices. The announcement, made earlier this week, sparked immediate pushback, including from Republican lawmakers, who argued that the U.S. should not allow Russia to export its oil amid its war with Ukraine. "I think that's a bad idea.
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