Former U.S. attorney Kevin Techau of Cedar Rapids hopes to do what Democrats have failed to in the last two election cycles — unseat Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.
Kevin Techau is shown in Cedar Rapids in April 2014 after he was appointed U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Iowa. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
Techau, a Democrat, launched his campaign Thursday to seek his party’s nomination to challenge Hinson for Northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat. The district includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque and Mason City.
“Right now, Iowans are working hard but still falling behind — and all while an unaccountable, unelected billionaire is trying to rig our system for the 1 percent and special interests,” Techau posted on Facebook. “I believe that our state deserves better than the self-serving politicians who put corporate greed over the needs of everyday families.
“That’s why I’m running for Congress — to actually put the people of Iowa first, to tackle our toughest problems, and to deliver real results that drive real change.”
Hinson, from Marion, has been seen as a rising star in the Republican Party since she flipped the blue seat red in 2020, ousting incumbent Democrat Abby Finkenauer from the seat by campaigning on kitchen-table issues and pledging to be a taxpayer advocate in Congress.
Hinson then won re-election in 2022 by 8 percentage points against Democratic former state lawmaker Liz Mathis of Hiawatha, and handily won re-election to a third term in 2024 against Democratic challenger Sarah Corkery of Cedar Falls and no-party candidate Jody Puffett of Delhi.
The former state lawmaker and former KCRG-TV news anchor was the favorite in the district, where registered Republican voters slightly outnumber Democrats. She faced vastly underfunded first-time candidates running grassroots campaigns. National Democrats did not target the race in the same way they did in the Iowa’s 1st and 3rd districts, leaving Corkery with little outside support.
The political arm of U.S. House Democrats, however, announced last week it considers Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District “in play” for the 2026 midterm elections, and will dedicate resources to efforts to flip the seat as part a broader effort to reclaim the House majority.
Cook Political Report rates the Northeast Iowa U.S. House seat as “solid Republican.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates the race as “likely Republican.”
Techau was nominated by Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2014 as the U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Iowa. He was among 46 U.S. Attorneys across the nation appointed by Obama who resigned during Republican President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.
www.thegazette.com
Techau, a Democrat, launched his campaign Thursday to seek his party’s nomination to challenge Hinson for Northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District seat. The district includes Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque and Mason City.
“Right now, Iowans are working hard but still falling behind — and all while an unaccountable, unelected billionaire is trying to rig our system for the 1 percent and special interests,” Techau posted on Facebook. “I believe that our state deserves better than the self-serving politicians who put corporate greed over the needs of everyday families.
“That’s why I’m running for Congress — to actually put the people of Iowa first, to tackle our toughest problems, and to deliver real results that drive real change.”
Hinson, from Marion, has been seen as a rising star in the Republican Party since she flipped the blue seat red in 2020, ousting incumbent Democrat Abby Finkenauer from the seat by campaigning on kitchen-table issues and pledging to be a taxpayer advocate in Congress.
Hinson then won re-election in 2022 by 8 percentage points against Democratic former state lawmaker Liz Mathis of Hiawatha, and handily won re-election to a third term in 2024 against Democratic challenger Sarah Corkery of Cedar Falls and no-party candidate Jody Puffett of Delhi.
The former state lawmaker and former KCRG-TV news anchor was the favorite in the district, where registered Republican voters slightly outnumber Democrats. She faced vastly underfunded first-time candidates running grassroots campaigns. National Democrats did not target the race in the same way they did in the Iowa’s 1st and 3rd districts, leaving Corkery with little outside support.
The political arm of U.S. House Democrats, however, announced last week it considers Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District “in play” for the 2026 midterm elections, and will dedicate resources to efforts to flip the seat as part a broader effort to reclaim the House majority.
Cook Political Report rates the Northeast Iowa U.S. House seat as “solid Republican.” Sabato’s Crystal Ball rates the race as “likely Republican.”
Techau was nominated by Democratic former President Barack Obama in 2013 and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2014 as the U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Iowa. He was among 46 U.S. Attorneys across the nation appointed by Obama who resigned during Republican President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017.
Former U.S. attorney launches bid to unseat Iowa’s Ashley Hinson
Former U.S. attorney Kevin Techau of Cedar Rapids hopes to do what Democrats have failed to in the last two election cycles — unseat Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Marion.
www.thegazette.com
