Iowa Farm Costs Shadow Trump’s Hinson Rally

Kelly Nieuwenhuis spent $16,000 filling his farm’s fuel tanks in Primghar, Iowa, as diesel for his tractors and combines cost almost double what it had earlier in the year. On Thursday, October 22, President Trump planned to rally in Sioux City with Rep. Ashley Hinson, whose Senate campaign faces an economic record shaped by rising farm costs and Iowa’s contraction in 2025.

Nieuwenhuis, a registered Republican who farms 3,000 acres, said he wouldn’t vote for Trump again after supporting him in 2016 and 2020. He plans to split his ticket in the midterms, backing Rob Sand for governor and Hinson for Senate. “Every election it comes down to the economy, and this policy is not working,” he said. “The Iran war, all the energy costs, the inflation — everything has gone up in price drastically.”

Farm Costs and the Campaign

According to a New York Times profile, the war in Iran drove up diesel costs for Nieuwenhuis. Fertilizer prices also rose as Russia’s war in Ukraine continued. Sales of his corn and soybeans remained depressed amid trade fights with China, Canada and Mexico, and Beijing had boycotted American soybeans after last year’s U.S.-China trade war.

Iowa’s economy contracted in 2025 and posted the country’s weakest annual growth rate, according to the federal Bureau of Economic Analysis. Polls suggested Iowa could flip to Democrats when voters cast ballots the following month, even though Trump won the state by double digits in 2024.

Hinson, who has represented Iowa in the House since 2021, is running for the state’s open Senate seat against Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek. NBC News classified the race as a toss-up. Republicans’ Senate majority is on the line.

Hinson initially pledged to be Trump’s “top ally” in the Senate. At a debate earlier in the month, she said she’d stand with him when it was “important for Iowa,” but would “push back on him” when needed, regardless of who occupied the White House. “If he’s going to say something that’s wrong, I’m going to challenge him on it,” she told Fox News last week.

War Policy and Congressional Power

Hinson criticized Trump’s waiver of sanctions against Moscow, telling reporters, “I don’t think we need to be making any more deals with Russia.” She had also distanced herself from Trump’s handling of the war with Iran and backed measures to address high prices, including a pause on diesel exports. In a post, she wrote: “The war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end.”

In September, the House considered a resolution aimed at reining in Trump in Iran. Two other Iowa Republicans in tight races supported it; Hinson opposed it. Turek said Hinson had voted to continue “this unnecessary war in Iran.” Hinson said the war must reach an “immediate and successful end” by preventing Iran from having a nuclear weapon and protecting U.S. allies. Asked why she opposed congressional war powers resolutions, she said, “I don’t think we need another resolution,” adding that she didn’t want the president prevented from bringing about “a orderly end to this war.”

Rally Appeals and Election Stakes

Hinson said she’d attend Thursday’s rally to welcome Trump “because I think this is a contrast election.” She described herself as “a mom, a minivan-driving mom” with “common sense,” and said she would bring that to Washington. At a Des Moines event for mothers earlier in the week, she recalled getting a five-minute call from Trump while in her minivan. She said she thanked him for efforts to move forward on trade with China and asked about a deal for China to buy more soybeans.

Hinson has said she has “always worked with both sides to get things done for Iowa.” She didn’t appear at a September rally featuring Vice President JD Vance. Trump’s October 22 rally was his second Iowa visit that year; he started midterm campaigning with a trip to the Des Moines area in January.

Other Iowa contests include the governor’s race, where Democrat Rob Sand and Republican Zach Lahn are competing to succeed Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds, who isn’t seeking re-election. Democrat Christina Bohannan faces Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the 1st Congressional District, while Democrat Sarah Trone Garriott faces Republican Rep. Zach Nunn in the 3rd.