Lindsay James, who represents Dubuque in the Iowa House, announced she’s running for Congress on Tuesday. James is the third Democrat actively running to replace three-term Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.
“You may know me as a state representative, but I’m also a chaplain and I work every day to live my life by the parable of the Good Samaritan,” James, an ordained Presbyterian minister, said in her campaign launch posted on social media. “When people are struggling and those in power are looking the other way, my faith tells me to step up and lend a hand.”
“Iowans right now are being forced to make impossible choices just to get by. And that’s a disgrace, and it doesn’t actually have to be this way.”
On her campaign site, James lists four priorities she would focus on in Congress: creating good-paying jobs in Iowa, making quality healthcare accessible, supporting schools and protecting the environment.
Lindsay James grew up in Oregon, and earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from Santa Clara University in California, before going on to receive a Master’s in divinity from the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, She is the co-founder and former director of the Loras College Peace Institute, and a former adjunct faculty member at the University of Dubuque. James is also he former chair of the Dubuque Community Development Advisory Commission. She lives in Dubuque with her husband, Christopher, and their two children.
James is in her fourth term in the Iowa House. She was first elected in 2018, taking the seat Abby Finkenauer gave up to run for Congress. (Finkenauer won in 2018, defeating incumbent Republican Rod Blum. In 2020, after one term, Finkenauer was defeated by Ashley Hinson.) James became part of the Democratic leadership team in the chamber in 2023, when she was elected House Minority Whip.
As a state representative, James has pushed for creating affordable housing and advocated for people living in manufactured homes facing pressure from out-of-state corporations that own the parks they reside in.
James joins Kathy Dolter, a retired Army nurse and former dean of nursing at Kirkwood Community College, and Clint Twedt-Ball, co-founder and former executive director of the Cedar Rapids-based community service nonprofit Matthew 25, in running for the Democratic nomination in Iowa’s 2nd District. It is the first run for office by both Dolter and Twedt-Ball.
In April, former U.S. Attorney Kevin Techau became the first Democrat to launch a run in the 2nd District. Techau dropped out of the race in June, explaining that his “campaign’s fundraising simply hasn’t met the threshold level that this race demands.” According to Federal Election Commission campaign finance reports published last month, Techau raised $142,340 during the three months of his campaign.
Hinson, on the other hand, has raised $1,540,262 during this election cycle, according to FEC reports. At the end of June, Hinson’s campaign had $2,825,332 on hand.
Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District covers 22 counties, mostly in northeast Iowa, and includes the cities of Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Mason City and Oelwein.
