Cedar Falls community leader and small-business owner Sarah Corkery announced Tuesday she will seek the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, setting up a potential challenge to Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Marion.
The district includes Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo and Grinnell.
Corkery, a first-time candidate and two-time breast cancer survivor, said she is running to expand access to affordable health care, lower prescription drug costs, strengthen gun safety laws and help farmers modernize their business.
She told The Gazette she was spurred to run for the northeast Iowa U.S. House seat after Hinson declined to sign on as a co-sponsor to bipartisan legislation introduced by Iowa GOP U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst that would give metastatic breast cancer patients access to support and medical care years sooner than current law allows.
The bill would waive the five-month waiting period for Social Security Disability Insurance and the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefits for eligible individuals with metastatic breast cancer.
Corkery, who said she has worked on national lobbying efforts to raise money for breast cancer research, said the legislation would do away with unnecessary waiting periods and ensure patients get the care they need in their fight against cancer.
Hinson’s office said she is supportive of the Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act and plans to join as a co-sponsor.
Corkery also cited Hinson’s votes against the bipartisan infrastructure law and a U.S. House bill that would have capped the cost of insulin for all Americans at $35.
“Iowans deserve better than a representative who puts partisan politics over our health care needs — including the right to make personal medical decisions without government intervention,” Corkery said, referring to Hinson’s support of a nationwide abortion ban.
On Iowa Politics
Newsletter Signup
Public opinion polls have consistently shown support across party lines for congressional action to limit drug costs.
Hinson has said government price controls will ultimately raise premiums for Americans. Instead, she said she favors another bill with several bipartisan provisions that would cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $50 for seniors on Medicare Part D, allow high-deductible plans to cover insulin costs before the deductible kicks in, increase transparency for patients and promote innovation in the health care space.
Hinson opposed the infrastructure bill because of its large price tag, and has advocated for and helped secure funding for targeted infrastructure updates and various projects throughout the district.
Corkery has spent more than 25 years as a marketing professional, and now operates a small creative branding firm with her husband, Chris.
Hinson, a former state lawmaker and former KCRG-TV news anchor, won re-election last year to a second term by eight percentage points against Democratic former state lawmaker Liz Mathis of Hiawatha in Iowa’s new 2nd District. Hinson unseated first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer in 2020.
The Cook Political Report rates Iowa’s 2nd District as “solid Republican,” meaning the race is not considered competitive and is not likely to become closely contested.
Hinson reported raising more than $740,000 from July through September, with more than $1.3 million cash on hand, and has lapped up attention from Republican presidential candidates who headlined a fundraiser for her this summer.
“It’s an uphill battle. We know it is,” Corkery said. “We can’t maybe outspend Ashley in dollars, but we’re excited to put together a grassroots different kind of community-building organization that gets people fired up” and change the narrative being perpetuated about Democrats by Iowa and national Republicans.
“And somebody, maybe, with a little less political experience can cut through that a little bit easier than those that have been inside Washington (D.C.) a long time,” Corkery said. “This is a winnable race.”
Hinson’s campaign, in a statement, claimed Corkery would be a “rubber-stamp for the radical Biden agenda” that has fueled inflation, an open border, and global instability that has put Americans in danger.
Corkery — who said she voted for Biden in 2020 and plans to do so again in 2024 — denied the assertion. She said, if elected, she will “vote with my convictions … and what’s best for Iowa.”
Hinson has made parental rights a focal point of her re-election campaign and taken aim at transgender-affirming policies like those adopted last year by the Linn-Mar Community School District.
Corkery said she has a child who is gay, a father who is gay and another child who is biracial. She called attacks by Hinson and other Iowa Republicans against gender-inclusive policies “laughable” and “terrible” for adding to existing stigma and discrimination of LGBTQ youth, who already face higher health and suicide risks than their peers.
“These are our kids who are most vulnerable,” Corkery said. “ … It should be about taking care of these kids and not marginalizing them or their teachers.”
Corkery said Hinson isn’t representing Iowans’ best interest.
“Ashley Hinson isn’t doing the work. It’s time for the voters of Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District to send someone to Washington who will,” Corkery said in a statement announcing her campaign.
Cedar Falls Democrat announces run for Congress against Ashley Hinson in Iowa's 2nd District
Sarah Corkery, a small business owner and marketing executive, announced Tuesday she's running against Ashley Hinson in the northeast Iowa district.
www.press-citizen.com
