Defeated GOP challenger urges voters to oppose Hinson in Iowa Senate race

Former Iowa state Sen. Jim Carlin (R), who lost his GOP primary bid for U.S. Senate this month, is refusing to endorse the race’s victor, Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), as she kicks off her general election campaign to succeed retiring Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa).

In a statement posted to his campaign website, Carlin thanked his supporters for helping him fight the “political establishment,” but he suggested, “It is time we seriously consider” letting GOP establishment candidates lose — including Hinson.

“Let me be direct: I cannot in good conscience ask you to vote for Ashley Hinson,” Carlin wrote in a statement. “She does not share our values and a Republican label is not enough. It has never been enough. And until our party understands that our votes must be earned, not assumed, nothing will change.”

“The establishment counts on voters believing they have nowhere else to go. But when citizens stand together and refuse to reward deception, empty promises, and managed decline, real political leverage begins to return to the people,” he continued.

Carlin characterized Hinson as part of the “establishment” class that takes Republican voters’ support for granted, but said, “We do not owe blind loyalty to any political party. Votes should be earned, not assumed.”

“If those asking for our support continually betray the values they campaign on, then we have every right — and perhaps even a duty — to withhold that support until representation becomes genuine again,” he said.

Carlin suggested “perhaps it is time for something new,” adding, “And if standing for those things means losing elections for a season, then so be it. Better to lose fighting honorably than to win by surrendering everything that matters.”

Hinson, who was widely seen as the favorite to win the GOP nomination to succeed Ernst, defeated Carlin in the June 2 primary, 74 percent to 26 percent, according to Decision Desk HQ. The congresswoman was backed by President Trump, along with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott (S.C.).

She will face Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, the Democratic nominee, in the general election in November. A two-time Paralympic gold medalist with a history of winning in conservative areas, Turek was favored in his primary by national Democrats, who saw him as the most formidable opponent to face off against Hinson.

After Turek’s primary victory, Cook Political Report shifted the Iowa Senate race toward Democrats, from “Likely Republican” to “Lean Republican.”

Hinson’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Defeated GOP challenger urges voters to oppose Hinson in Iowa Senate race

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