Abby Finkenauer

Abby Lea Finkenauer (born December 27, 1988)[1][2][3] is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Iowa's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Abby Finkenauer
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 1st district
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byRod Blum
Succeeded byAshley Hinson
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the 99th district
In office
January 12, 2015 – January 3, 2019
Preceded byPat Murphy
Succeeded byLindsay James
Personal details
Born
Abby Lea Finkenauer

(1988-12-27) December 27, 1988
Sherrill, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Daniel Wasta
​
(m. 2020)​
EducationDrake University (BA)

Before being elected to Congress, Finkenauer served in the Iowa House of Representatives for the 99th district from 2015 to 2019. On November 6, 2018, Finkenauer and fellow Democrat Cindy Axne became the first women from Iowa elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Finkenauer also became the second-youngest woman to ever be elected to the U.S. House. She lost reelection in 2020 and lost a primary election for the United States Senate in 2022.

Early life and education

Finkenauer grew up in Sherrill, Iowa.[4][5] Her father is a welder and her mother works at a public school.[6]

She graduated from Hempstead High School in Dubuque.[4] In 2011, Finkenauer graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with a bachelor's degree in public relations.[7]

Career

In 2006, Finkenauer was a page for U.S. Representative Jim Nussle, a Republican who represented Northeast Iowa in Congress.[3][5] The following year, after Nussle ran unsuccessfully for Governor of Iowa, Finkenauer was a page for Patrick Murphy, the Democratic Speaker of the Iowa State House of Representatives.[3][5]

In 2007, Finkenauer was the Iowa volunteer coordinator for the Joe Biden presidential campaign.[5] She was later legislative aide for Democratic state Representative Todd Taylor and communications specialist for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.[5]

Iowa House of Representatives

Murphy gave up his seat in 2014 to make an unsuccessful run for Congress, and Finkenauer ran for Murphy's old seat and won. In the Democratic primary, Finkenauer defeated defense attorney Steve Drahozal, receiving 57.8% of the vote.[8] In the general election, she faced lawyer Daniel Dlouhy and defeated him, receiving 60.8% of the vote.[9][10] She was 25 when first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives.

She was unopposed for reelection in 2016.[4][11]

U.S. House of Representatives
Finkenauer and Joe Biden hold an event with voters in the gymnasium at McKinley Elementary School in Des Moines, January 2020

2018
See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 1

In May 2017, Finkenauer announced her candidacy for Iowa's 1st congressional district, which was held by Republican and Dubuque resident Rod Blum.[12] Blum had unexpectedly defeated her former boss, Murphy, in 2014.

On June 5, 2018, she won the Democratic primary, defeating former congressional staffer Thomas Heckroth, engineer Courtney Rowe and retired military officer George Ramsey. She received 66.9% of the vote.[13]

As of September 2018, her race was classified as Lean Democratic or Tilt Democratic by 3 major rating firms.[14] On October 1, 2018, former President Barack Obama endorsed Finkenauer.[15] She defeated Blum with 50.9% of the vote, a margin of 5%.[16][17]

2020
See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 1

In 2020, Finkenauer ran again without any Democratic primary opposition. She was defeated in the general election by Republican state Representatives Ashley Hinson, 51.3% to 48.7%.[18]

Tenure

Finkenauer and Cindy Axne, elected in 2018 to represent Iowa's 3rd congressional district, became the first women to represent Iowa in the U.S. House.[4][19][20] She is the second youngest woman ever elected to the House, being about ten months older than fellow 2018 freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez;[21] Finkenauer turned 30 a week before being sworn in on January 3, 2019.[22] Finkenauer also served in House Leadership as an assistant whip during the 116th United States Congress.[23]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

2022 U.S. Senate campaign

On July 22, 2021, Finkenauer announced her candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Iowa, for the seat held by Chuck Grassley.[25] On April 11, 2022, a judge ruled that she was ineligible for the Democratic primary because her nominating petitions did not have enough verified signatures. Finkenauer said she would appeal the ruling, and four days later on April 15, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously reversed the decision and allowed Finkenauer to appear on the primary ballot.[26][27]

Michael Franken, a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy, defeated Finkenauer in the primary election.[28] The Des Moines Register called Franken's victory an upset, as Finkenauer had been the perceived front-runner.[29]

Biden Administration

On December 1, 2022, Finkenauer was appointed United States Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues.[30]

Electoral history

2014
Iowa House of Representatives 99th district election, 2014[10]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abby Finkenauer 7,072 60.6%
Republican Daniel Dlouhy 4,567 39.2%
Nonpartisan Write-ins 23 0.2%
Total votes 11,662 100%
Democratic hold

2018
Democratic primary election of Iowa's 1st congressional district, 2018[31]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abby Finkenauer 29,525 66.90%
Democratic Thomas Heckroth 8,467 19.18%
Democratic Courtney Rowe 3,320 7.52%
Democratic George Ramsey 2,786 6.31%
Democratic Write-ins 36 0.08%
Total votes 44,134 100%
U.S. House election, 2018:[32] Iowa District 1
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Abby Finkenauer 169,496 50.9 +4.8
Republican Rod Blum (incumbent) 153,077 45.6 -7.7
Libertarian Troy Hageman 10,239 3.1 +3.1
Write-ins 171 0.05 -0.15
Majority 16,419 5.3
Turnout 332,983 100
Democratic gain from Republican Swing +12.5

2020
Democratic primary election of Iowa's 1st congressional district, 2020[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abby Finkenauer (incumbent) 72,474 99.3%
Nonpartisan Write-ins 482 0.7%
Total votes 72,956 100%
2020 Election for U.S. Representative of Iowa's 1st Congressional District
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Ashley Hinson 212,088 51.2
Democratic Abby Finkenauer (incumbent) 201,347 48.7
Republican gain from Democratic Swing 7.6

Personal life

Finkenauer married Daniel Wasta, the Iowa Political Director for the Elizabeth Warren 2020 presidential campaign, on August 8, 2020.[34][35]

Finkenauer has discussed her experiences with endometriosis and has worked to pass an amendment that would double endometriosis research funding.[36] She is the founder of the Congressional Endometriosis Caucus.[37]

Finkenauer is Roman Catholic.[38]

See also

References
  1. "Abby Finkenauer". Iowa State University. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  2. "Iowa's 1st Congressional District". ABC News. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  3. "The Iowa Legislature: Legislators: Abby Finkenauer". Iowa General Assembly. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  4. Godfrey, Elaine (July 29, 2018). "The Fight for Iowa's White Working-Class Soul". The Atlantic.
  5. Barton, Thomas J. (October 18, 2014). "Iowa House District 99: Age belies Finkenauer's real political experience". Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  6. Rynard, Pat (January 26, 2015). "New Legislator Profile: Abby Finkenauer". Iowa Starting Line.
  7. "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved November 24, 2018.
  8. Jacobson, Ben. "Finkenauer wins House primary". Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  9. Reber, Craig D. "Democrat Finkenauer defeats Dlouhy". Telegraph Herald. Dubuque. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  10. "Iowa Secretary of State 2014 General Election Canvass Summary" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  11. Barton, Thomas J. (May 3, 2017). "Exclusive: Iowa Rep. Finkenauer to challenge Blum for U.S. House seat in 2018". Telegraph Herald. Dubuque, Iowa. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  12. Christinia Crippes (May 3, 2017). "Finkenauer seeks 1st District seat". The Courier. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  13. Almukhtar, Sarah (June 5, 2018). "Iowa Primary Election Results". The New York Times. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  14. "Iowa's 1st Congressional District election, 2018 – Ballotpedia". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  15. Lynch, James Q. (October 1, 2018). "Obama endorses Hubbell, Finkenauer". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids.
  16. "Iowa Election Results: First House District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  17. "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  18. "Republican Ashley Hinson unseats U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer in Iowa's 1st District". The Des Moines Register.
  19. "This Iowan could become the youngest woman in Congress. But first, she has to beat incumbent Rod Blum". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  20. Lynch, James Q. (June 27, 2018). "Even if she wins, Finkenauer may not be youngest congresswoman". The Gazette. Cedar Rapids.
  21. "A List Of Firsts For Women In This Year's Midterm Elections". NPR. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  22. Merelli, Annalisa (November 7, 2018). "Meet the other 29-year-old woman elected to Congress". Quartz. ... though she will be 30 by the time she is inaugurated
  23. "Rep. Finkenauer given leadership role with Democrats in Congress". March 6, 2019.
  24. "House Approves Push by Finkenauer and Endometriosis Caucus to Double Research Funding". Congresswoman Jenniffer González-Colón. July 30, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  25. Quinn Scanlan (July 22, 2021). "Former Rep. Abby Finkenauer announces run for GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley's Iowa seat". ABC News. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  26. Gruber-Miller, Stephen (April 11, 2022). "Abby Finkenauer can't appear on Democratic primary ballot, Iowa judge rules". Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  27. Merica, Dan; Bradner, Eric (April 15, 2022). "Iowa Supreme Court rules Democratic Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer qualifies for primary ballot". CNN. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  28. "Michael Franken to challenge Chuck Grassley in November 2022 election". Desmoinesregister.com. June 7, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2022.
  29. Pfannenstiel, Brianne (June 7, 2022). "Mike Franken wins Democratic US Senate primary; to take on Chuck Grassley in November". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  30. "Abby Finkenauer appointed us special envoy for global youth issues". US Department of State.
  31. "Election Night Reporting". results.enr.clarityelections.com.
  32. "Iowa General Election 2018". Iowa Secretary of State. Retrieved November 11, 2018.
  33. "Election Night Reporting | UNITED STATES REPRESENTATIVE DISTRICT 1 – DEMOCRATIC". results.enr.clarityelections.com. Iowa Secretary of State.
  34. "Iowa Congresswoman Engaged to Marry Presidential Candidate's Staffer". whotv.com. October 20, 2019. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  35. "Rep. Abby Finkenauer married on Saturday in private ceremony". KWWL. August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  36. Longman, Molly. "Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer: Why I Fought To Double Endometriosis Funding". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  37. "Introducing the House Endometriosis Caucus - March 5, 2020". Archives of Women's Political Communication. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  38. "Religious affiliation of members of 116th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 26, 2023.
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