Abby Finkenauer
Abby Lea Finkenauer (born December 27, 1988) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, Finkenauer is seeking the Democratic Party's nomination for the U.S. Senate in 2022. Before being elected to Congress, Finkenauer served in the Iowa House of Representatives for the 99th district from 2015 to 2019. Her committee assignments included Economic Growth, Labor, Transportation, and Ways and Means. She was also a member of the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee. 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. Early life and education. Finkenauer grew up in Sherrill, Iowa. Her father is a welder and her mother works at a public school. She graduated from Hempstead High School in Dubuque. In 2011, Finkenauer graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with a bachelor's degree in public relations. Career. In 2006, Finkenauer was a page for U.S. Representative Jim Nussle, a Republican who represented Northeast Iowa in  Congress. The following year, Finkenauer was a page for Pat Murphy, the Democratic Speaker of the Iowa State House of Representatives. In 2007, Finkenauer was the Iowa volunteer coordinator for the Joe Biden presidential campaign. She was later legislative aide for Iowa Democratic State Representative Todd Taylor and communications specialist for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque. 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 . In the general election, she faced lawyer Daniel Dlouhy and defeated him, receiving 60.8% of the vote. She was 25 when first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. She was unopposed for reelection in 2016. In May 2017, Finkenauer announced her candidacy for Iowa's 1st congressional district, which was held by Republican and Dubuque resident Rod Blum. Blum had defeated her former boss, Murphy, in 2014. U.S. House of Representatives. Elections. 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. As of September 2018, her race was classified as Lean Democratic or Tilt Democratic by 3 major rating firms. On October 1, 2018, former President Barack Obama endorsed Finkenauer. She defeated Blum with 50.9% of the vote, a margin of 5%. In 2020, Finkenauer ran again without any Democratic primary opposition. She was defeated in the general election by Republican challenger Ashley Hinson, 51.2% to 48.7%. Tenure. She 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. She is the second youngest  woman ever elected to the House, being about ten months older than fellow 2018 freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Finkenauer turned 30 a week before being sworn in on January 3, 2019. U.S. Senate candidacy. On July 22, 2021, Finkenauer announced her candidacy for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Iowa, for the seat held by Chuck Grassley. 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. Personal life. Finkenauer married Daniel Wasta, the Iowa Political Director for the Elizabeth Warren 2020 presidential campaign, on August 8, 2020. Finkenauer has discussed her experiences with endometriosis and has worked to pass an amendment that would double endometriosis research funding. She is the founder of the Congressional Endometriosis Caucus.