**FILE** Shown in this Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2017, file photo is State Sen. Abby Finkenauer, D-Dubuque, at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

The race for Iowa’s First Congressional District seat is considered one of the most competitive in the nation and state Rep. Abby Finkenauer said she has what it takes to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Rod Blum. If she wins, she would be the youngest woman ever elected to Congress.

Finkenauer, a Dubuque Democrat who has served two terms in the Iowa House of Representatives, said there are several issues weighing on voters’ minds ahead of the Nov. 6 mid-term election.

Health care and health insurance

“We’ve got to address health care in this country,” Finkenauer said. “My health care plan here is making sure we add a public option to the ACA (Affordable Care Act).”

She said adding a public option to the current law would drive down premiums for everybody, including those who pay for health care from the private market. Finkenauer said the private insurance providers would have to compete with the public option to attract consumers.

Finkenauer criticized Blum and other congressional Republicans for attempted changes to the Affordable Care Act in 2017.

“What I’ve seen the last few years in Washington, instead of trying to fix the ACA … I’ve just seen them try to sabotage it,” she said. The GOP-controlled U.S. House passed an attempted replacement for the law in 2017, but it ultimately died on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Finkenauer has maintained that health care is a human right. She has also been critical of the Iowa privatized Medicaid program put into place in 2016 under former Gov. Terry Brandstad.

Trade

An ongoing trade war with China and disputes with other countries in recent months, including U.S. allies like Canada and the European Union, have raised concerns among Iowa farmers.

Finkenauer said the President Donald Trump administration has lacked a plan on resolving trade conflicts.

“This idea of ‘be patient, be patient’ that we’ve heard isn’t sitting well with folks,” she said.

“There doesn’t seem to be a plan here … of how do you get these markets back with China.”

She said lower crop prices are impacting some farmers’ ability to get much-needed bank loans. Finkenauer also said Iowa’s agribusiness and manufacturing industries are being harmed by the trade war, including John Deere, which has a location in Waterloo.

She said the impacts on the manufacturing industry also have consequences for union workers, including United Auto Workers members.

Finkenauer cited an Iowa State University study from September predicting $2.2 billion in losses to Iowa farmers because of the trade disputes.

“It’s hitting our state on both sides,” she said.

Finkenauer said agriculture and manufacturing are key parts of Iowa’s economy and are closely intertwined.

“It’s important to send somebody to D.C. who will stand up to the (Trump) administration,” she said.

Service

Finkenauer has fashioned her campaign around being “a voice for working families.” She pointed to her four years in the Iowa House as evidence to that effect.

“When they went after collective bargaining, when they went after workers compensation … I was a voice on that every single time,” Finkenauer said.

The Republicans have held the majority in the House for Finkenauer’s entire tenure. The GOP has had a state trifecta (controlling the House, Senate and Governor’s office) since 2016.

Finkenauer said being in the minority has taught her how to work across the aisle in Des Moines.

Other issues

That theme of working across the political aisle is another major message from the Finkenauer camp.

“Folks (are) wanting common sense and decency back in government again, and civility,” she said. “I’m continuing to work hard here, I’m out there talking to folks every single day who very clearly need a new voice in Washington.”

Infrastructure is another area Finkenauer said she would focus on if elected to Congress. She said infrastructure should be a focus for both major parties.

“I think this is something Democrats and Republicans have both punted on for a while,” Finkenauer said. “It’s time we stop playing politics and just get this done.”

Specifically, she said she wants to see more funding to fix roads, bridges and improve broadband access to people across the country.

Finkenauer will face Blum and Libertarian Party candidate Troy Hageman for the First District seat on Nov. 6. The district covers northeast and parts of east-central Iowa, including the cities of Marshalltown, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, Dubuque and Cedar Rapids.

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Contact Adam Sodders at

(641) 753-6611 or asodders@timesrepublican.com