NEW: Ashley Hinson Calls Iran War a “Political Liability” as Gas, Fertilizer Prices Skyrocket
Hinson: “[The Iran War is] a Political Liability for Us Too, Because We’ve Lost Iowa Soldiers. It’s Been Four Funerals Since December, it’s Awful”
Politico: “The War in Iran Has Become a Particular Concern for Iowans as Prices for Fertilizer and Diesel Fuel […] Have Soared”
DES MOINES – Ashley Hinson was caught admitting that the war in Iran is turning into a major “political liability” for her Senate campaign heading into the general election, according to a new report from Politico.
In Iowa, gas prices are up $1 dollar/gallon in the last year, while diesel is up nearly $2 dollars/gallon. Meanwhile, fertilizer costs are up anywhere from 33%-55% since the start of the war.
“In public, Ashley Hinson has voted in support of this war, but in private, she admits it’s a massive liability,” said Iowa Democratic Party spokesperson Drew Myers. “As families struggle to fill up their tanks and farmers see fertilizer prices skyrocket, they will remember who to blame.”
Politico: Trump ally admits political risk of Iran war at campaign event
- Rep. Ashley Hinson, the likely GOP nominee in Iowa’s critical Senate race, said last week that the Iran war will become a “political liability” if it extends much longer, according to audio obtained by POLITICO.
- […] “I do hope we can get this done by the next couple of weeks. 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.”
- The candid remarks came during a private conversation during a public meet-and-greet with voters in Webster County last Thursday.
- But her remarks offer a glimpse into Republicans’ growing concerns that a prolonged conflict, especially with the resulting rise in gas prices and risk of increased American casualties, could become a vulnerability in battleground contests.
- The war in Iran has become a particular concern for Iowans as prices for fertilizer and diesel fuel — both essential for food production — have soared amid the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. That, combined with Trump’s trade policies from earlier this year, has sent the state’s agriculture sector spiraling. Iowa has also experienced a personal toll from the conflict when six Army Reserve soldiers with the 103rd Sustainment Command based in Des Moines, Iowa, were killed on March 1 in an Iranian strike on a Kuwait facility.
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