Abby Finkenauer Announces Campaign for U.S. Senate: Finkenauer Promises to Take Blue-Collar Values to Washington To Fight For Iowa Families

Cedar Rapids, Iowa (July 22, 2021) — Today, Abby Finkenauer, the daughter of a union pipefitter-welder and a tireless fighter for Iowa’s families, announced her campaign for the U.S. Senate.

“I’m running for Senate because Democracy is worth fighting for and Iowa is worth fighting for,” said Abby Finkenauer. “My dad was a union pipefitter-welder, and my mom worked in the local public schools, and they couldn’t give me a trust fund or debt free college — but they taught me that when there’s work to be done, you do it. I believe that Iowans deserve jobs that aren’t just paychecks but pay enough to build a future, health care that’s affordable, and the opportunity to succeed right here at home in Iowa. And I intend to get it done.”

About Abby Finkenauer

Abby comes from a working-class family in Dubuque County. Her father is a retired Union pipefitter-welder, and her mother worked for the Dubuque Community Schools. She learned the value of public service and giving back to the community from her family, including her grandfathers — her mother’s father served as Lieutenant in the Dubuque Fire Department, and her father’s father earned a Purple Heart serving our country in World War II. Her family couldn’t give her a trust fund or debt-free college, but they taught her more important values – how to treat people with respect, to never think you’re better than anyone else, and that when there is work to be done or a problem to solve you say “yes.”

Abby channeled her family’s tradition of public service by running for the Iowa House of Representatives when she was just 24 years old – and winning. While serving in Des Moines, Abby was proud to fight for working families like hers. She opposed massive corporate giveaways to out-of-state companies, fought to make high-quality healthcare available to all Iowans and supported high-quality education for all students.

Four years later, Abby ran for Congress, went on to become the youngest woman to flip a congressional seat from red to blue and became one of the first women to represent Iowa in the House of Representatives. On her first day on the job, Abby walked into her congressional office with her dad’s old sweatshirt under her arm – a sweatshirt peppered with burn holes from his days as a union pipefitter-welder. She brought it with her to always remind her why she was there: to fight for the people of Iowa.

In Congress, she was proud to become the youngest women ever to pass a bill in the House when she worked with Republicans to help small businesses grow. Introducing more than 20 bipartisan bills, she funded the Children’s Health Insurance Program, strengthened Iowa’s flood prevention infrastructure and fought for Iowa’s schools and rural communities by being willing to work with anyone, of either party, to get things done.

A lifelong Iowan who chose to stay in Iowa even while watching so many of the friends she grew up with move out of state, Abby and her husband Daniel were married in August 2020 in their backyard in Cedar Rapids, where they continue to reside.

Paid for by Abby Finkenauer for Iowa