Congresswoman-elect Lindsay James, a Democrat from Dubuque, says she hopes to be appointed to the House Committee on Agriculture when the House convenes in January.
“I want to do committee work that is going to address all of teh realities that folks are struggling with here in Iowa’s second congressional district and our farmers have been very clear about needed to pass a Farm Bill,” James told Radio Iowa, “and so I am very interested in being a part of the Ag Committee.”
Two Iowa Republicans currently serve on the House Committee on Agriculture, but neither will return to the House next year. Third district Congressman Zach Nunn lost his bid for reelection and fourth district Congressman Randy Feenstra did not seek re-election to the House and unsuccessfully ran for the GOP nomination for governor.
James said another issue she plans to work on is restoring commercial air service to the Dubuque airport, so she plans to ask for a seat on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. “All of this is interconnected to commerce, transportation and rail and a number of things,” James said.
There were four candidates on the ballot in Iowa’s second district and James won the seat with 49.5% of the vote. “We saw a significant turnout of voters across this district, not just in river cities, not just in the most densely urgan centers,” James said. “I believe that is because rural Iowa is getting hit really hard with the tariffs, the costs of the war in Iran when it comes to the costs gasoline and diesel prices, fertilizer for our farmers.”
James won four counties in the district and nearly the same number of votes Republican Ashley Hinson got in 2022 when she won the district in the last midterm election by 9%. James finished 4% ahead of Republican Joe Mitchell. On Tuesday night, Mitchell was at The Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Mitchell told his supporters the wins by Democrats in the second district and elsewhere show Republicans can’t take the future of the country for granted. “I hope it motivates you to get more involved,” Mitchell said. “I’m going to stay involved, most certainly.”
Mitchell is a homebuilder and a former state legislator.
