Vice President JD Vance had an awkward moment on the campaign trail in Iowa on Friday after he had to acknowledge that the state’s Republican candidate for the Senate had skipped the rally being held to help her win the election.
“Shoutout to an amazing public servant, I know she couldn’t be here today, but are we going to elect Ashley Hinson the next United States senator for the great state of Iowa?” Vance asked the crowd.
It was an awkward moment, even for Vance.
Rep. Ashley Hinson is running to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Joni Ernst. But what should be a slam dunk for Republicans has turned into an increasingly close race. Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, the Democrat, has been gaining ground in recent weeks as voters turn away from candidates like Hinson, who are close to the Trump administration.
Iowa has been strong Republican territory in recent years, with Trump defeating former Vice President Kamala Harris there in 2024 by 13 points and defeating former President Joe Biden there by 9 points, even though Biden won the election.
But thanks to policies like the Iran war and tariffs, which are hurting Iowa’s vital farming sector, Hinson is now struggling toward the finish line. The Republican was featured in a New York Times profile published the same day as Vance’s shoutout, noting her efforts to stand apart from the party.
The Times piece noted that Hinson skipped Trump’s poorly rated midterm convention in Texas last week and that she recently released a deceptive ad touting her purported “bipartisan” credentials.
But Hinson is no moderate. She has been a full-blooded MAGA loyalist, who voted for the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” and its provisions to strip healthcare from Iowa residents, and has even voted to preserve Trump’s tariffs.
Vance being at a rally for a candidate that wouldn’t be seen with him was an awkward moment from Vance highlighting the very real notion that he is the second banana in a toxic ticket that is electoral kryptonite for Republican candidates, even in safe territory like Iowa. Vance instead had another cringeworthy moment in a political career packed to the gills with them.
Posted with permission from Daily Kos.
Something may be up in Iowa.
Today alone:
1) Ashley Hinson released an ad touting her work crossing party lines to work with Democrats (very rare in a state Trump won by a double-digit margin), and is avoiding JD Vance like the plague.
2) Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01) &… https://t.co/L6VHrtZx8I pic.twitter.com/AS713454iR
— Adam Carlson (@admcrlsn) September 17, 2026