Abby Finkenauer Biography
Abby Finkenauer (Abby Lea Finkenauer) is an American politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Iowa’s 1st congressional district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Her district serves much of the northeast quadrant of the state, including Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Cedar Falls and her hometown of Dubuque.
Before being elected to Congress, Finkenauer served as the member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 99th district from 2015 to 2019. Her committee assignments in the Iowa House included Economic Growth, Labor, Transportation and Ways and Means. She was also a member of the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.
On November 6, 2018, Finkenauer and Cindy Axne became the first women from Iowa elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Finkenauer also became the second-youngest woman to ever be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Abby Finkenauer Age
Abby Finkenauer was born on 27 December 1988 in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. She is 30 years old as of 2018.
Abby Finkenauer Net worth
Abby Finkenauer earns her income from her businesses and other related organizations. She also earns her income from her work as a politician. She also earns her income from the Awards industry. She has an estimated net worth of $ 3 million dollars.
Abby Finkenauer Education
Abby Finkenauer graduated from Hempstead High School in Dubuque. In 2011, Finkenauer graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, with a bachelor’s degree in public relations.
Abby Finkenauer Husband
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Abby Finkenauer Political career
In 2006, Finkenauer was a page for U.S. Representative Jim Nussle, a Republican who represented Northeast Iowa in Congress. The following year, Finkenauer was a page for Pat Murphy, the Democratic Speaker of the House in Iowa.
In 2007, Finkenauer was the Iowa volunteer coordinator for the Joe Biden presidential campaign. She was later legislative aide for Iowa Democratic State Representative Todd Taylor and communications specialist for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque.
Abby Finkenauer Iowa House of Representatives
Abby Finkenauer gave up his seat in 2014 to make an unsuccessful run for Congress, and Finkenauer ran for Murphy’s old seat and won. Finkenauer defeated defense attorney Steve Drahozal, receiving 57.8% of the vote. In the general election, she faced lawyer Daniel Dlouhy and defeated him, receiving 60.8% of the vote. She was 25 when first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. She was unopposed for reelection in 2016
Abby Finkenauer U.S. House of Representatives
In May 2017, Finkenauer announced her candidacy for Iowa’s 1st congressional district, which was held by Republican and fellow Dubuque resident Rod Blum. Blum had defeated her former boss, Murphy, in 2014.
On June 5, 2018, she won the Democratic primary, defeating former congressional staffer Thomas Heckroth and engineer Courtney Rowe. She received 66.9% of the vote. As of September 2018, her race was classified as Lean Democratic or Tilt Democratic by 3 major rating firms. On October 1, 2018, former President Barack Obama endorsed Finkenauer. She defeated Blum with 50.9% of the vote, a margin of 5%.
She and Cindy Axne, elected from the 3rd district, are the first women to represent Iowa in the House. She is the second youngest woman ever elected to the House, being about ten months older than fellow 2018 freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; Finkenauer turned 30 a week before being sworn in in January.
Abby Finkenauer Endorsements
Keep in mind that ratings done by special interest groups often do not represent a non-partisan stance. In addition, some groups select votes that tend to favor members of one political party over another, rather than choosing votes based solely on issues concerns. Nevertheless, they can be invaluable in showing where an incumbent has stood on a series of votes in the past one or two years, especially when ratings by groups on all sides of an issue are compared. Website links, if available, and descriptions of the organizations offering performance evaluations are accessible by clicking on the name of the group.
Most performance evaluations are displayed in a percentage format. However, some organizations present their ratings in the form of a letter grade or endorsement based on voting records, interviews, survey results and/or sources of campaign funding. For consistency and ease in understanding, Vote Smart converts all scores into a percentage when possible.
Abby Finkenauer Internships
Washington, DC
In the Washington, DC office, internships run throughout the fall, spring or summer semesters for college students. Although all internships in all offices are unpaid, students gain invaluable work experience. The hours are flexible to accommodate students’ hectic course schedules, but generally run 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. when Congress is in session, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. when not in session.
In Washington, DC, interns’ responsibilities will vary. They may be asked to answer phones, run errands, research legislation for the Member and legislative staff, attend hearings and briefings and answer constituent letters on various issues before the House. As a result, interns learn about the legislative process and the many other functions of a congressional office.
District
In the District office, interns may be asked to do a variety of things, including day-to-day office work such as answering phones, writing letters and assisting with media clips. In addition, interns may be assigned to assist in various constituent case work or work on District-based projects of importance.
Abby Finkenauer Platform
Speaking to a crowd of about 200 excited supporters, Abby Finkenauer said she can’t wait to get to work in the U.S. House of Representatives. The two-term Democratic state representative received just over 50 percent of the vote to beat incumbent U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, who garnered 45 percent, in the closely watched 1st Congressional District race Tuesday.
Finkenauer joins Cindy Axne, the winner in the 3rd Congressional District, to be the first women from Iowa to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. At 29, Finkenauer is also one of the youngest people ever voted into Congress.
Finkenauer spoke to a packed house at a victory party at 7 Hills Brewery in downtown Dubuque just after 10:30 p.m. Tuesday. Flanked by her family, she declared that her win was a rejection of fear and division and an endorsement of hope.
“I truly believe hope is the reason we got this far and hope is the reason we still have work to do,” Finkenauer said. “You’ve asked me to be your voice in Washington, and you have my promise that I will work my tail off for you every single day.”
Volunteers wearing campaign shirts cried in front of the stage as friends and supporters cheered. Overcome with emotions, Finkenauer mouthed, “We did it!” over shouts of, “Abby! Abby! Abby!” “This is and always will be personal,” Finkenauer said as many in the crowd joined in on the line she’s used to closing her events throughout the cycle.
Her first and longest hug after speaking was for her dad, whose career as a union pipefitter/welder was the basis of much of her pro-labor platform. She decided to run, she said from the podium, when Iowa Republicans voted to dismantle collective bargaining rights. “I thought, ‘This is not how we treat people in my state and in my country,'” she recalled.
Ben Ray Luján, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said in a statement that Finkenauer will bring “new energy” to Washington. “Abby is a champion for working families like her own,” Luján said. Blum didn’t appear at his election night event in Peosta, but sent a statement to the Register saying that the chance to serve the 1st District was “a uniquely American opportunity.”
“My first vote in Congress was against the leadership of my own party: voting against then-sitting speaker John Boehner,” the statement read. “I urge Abby Finkenauer to similarly prove her independence from big donors and the leadership of her own party when she takes the same vote in Congress.”
Most polls and political trackers had Finkenauer leading with solid margins throughout the summer and fall, and voter registrations as of Oct. 25 favored Democrats. But the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC that backs Republican candidates, made a late-October television ad buy of about $423,000 a move that hinted the party still had hope for this seat. Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence stumped for Blum this summer, and Speaker of the House Paul Ryan hosted a private fundraiser with the congressman in late October.
The district voted for President Barack Obama by double digits in both 2008 and 2012, and then shifted right to vote for Trump by four points in the most recent election. Trump was the first Republican presidential candidate to carry Dubuque County since Dwight Eisenhower in 1952. For those gathered at Finkenauer’s victory party, Tuesday’s celebration was as much for all Democrats as it was for her. Every time an update that favored a Democrat splashed across the screen, the crowd erupted in cheers.
Abby Finkenauer Committees
Committees play a key role in Congress. Committees are how Congress determines the needs of the country and how to respond to these needs. Congresswoman Finkenauer is honored to serve on the following committees as a voice for Iowa’s First District.
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
The House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has jurisdiction over all modes of transportation: aviation, maritime and waterborne transportation, highways, bridges, mass transit, and railroads. The Committee also has jurisdiction over other aspects of our national infrastructure, such as clean water and wastewater management, the transport of resources by pipeline, flood damage reduction, the management of federally owned real estate and public buildings, the development of economically depressed rural and urban areas, disaster preparedness and response, and hazardous materials transportation. Congresswoman Finkenauer is committed to fixing Iowa’s crumbling infrastructure to address the needs of small businesses, farms, and grow Iowa’s economy.
Subcommittee Assignments:
- Subcommittee on Highways and Transit
- Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment
House Small Business Committee
The House Small Business Committee proposes and evaluates legislation that affects small businesses, and also oversees the Small Business Administration, which provides support for small businesses at every stage of their development. The Committee’s jurisdiction includes addressing the high cost of insurance, making affordable loans available, and offering disaster assistance. Congresswoman Finkenauer is proud to represent the 48% of Iowans who are small business employees and ensure real results for working families.
Subcommittee Assignments
- Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship (Chairwoman)
The Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship addresses policies that enhance rural economic growth, increase America’s energy independence and ensure that America’s small businesses can compete effectively in a global marketplace. Representative Finkenauer is dedicated to ensuring Iowans in small towns and rural communities have every opportunity to raise their families with good-paying jobs and high quality of life.
- Subcommittee on Innovation and Workforce Development
Abby Finkenauer Contacts
- Washington, DC Office
124 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2911 - Cedar Rapids Office
308 3rd St SE, Suite 200
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
(319) 364-2288 - Dubuque
1050 Main St.
Dubuque, IA 52001 - Waterloo
521A Lafayette St.
Waterloo, IA 50703
Abby Finkenauer Congresswoman
Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer (IA-01) presided over the House floor as the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to help Iowa and other communities recover from recent natural disasters.
“This is a critical bill to help Iowa communities recover and rebuild, including on the Mississippi River,” said Congresswoman Finkenauer. “Folks aren’t asking for a handout- they just want a government that will have their backs. I was honored to preside over the House floor as Republicans and Democrats came together to pass this critical piece of legislation.”
H.R. 2157, the Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2019 is a comprehensive disaster recovery package that includes $17.2 billion in emergency funding for disaster-stricken communities across our nation and territories and adds an additional $3 billion specifically dedicated to addressing the urgent needs of the Midwest.
“Recent flooding has devastated communities throughout Iowa and across the Midwest that desperately need help from the federal government,” said Congresswoman Finkenauer “Today, I voted to ensure communities have access to funding to help rebuild and recover from this natural disaster, I urge my Senate colleagues to do the same.”
Finkenauer was proud to preside over the passage of two amendments proposed by Congresswoman Cindy Axne (IA-03), which would help Iowa farmers recover and allow communities to rebuild important infrastructure damaged by flooding.
The bill builds on legislation passed by the House in January. It includes $3 billion to help farmers struggling with crop and livestock losses due to natural disasters, $1.5 billion for the Army Corps of Engineers, $1 billion for Community Development Block Grants for disaster recovery, $500 million for the Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Conservation Program and funding for Mississippi River flood repair.
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