PolitiFact Rates 2 Dem-Backed Ashley Hinson Attack Ads 'Mostly False'

PolitiFact has rated two attack advertisements targeting Republican Iowa U.S. Senate nominee Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) as “Mostly False,” finding that WinSenate, an operation of the Democratic Senate Majority PAC, made misleading claims about her personal finances and voting record concerning the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

PolitiFact examined advertisements that accused Hinson of becoming $8 million richer during her five years in Congress and voting against releasing the Epstein files.

The first advertisement, dated October 19, accused Hinson of substantially increasing her wealth since taking office.

“After just five years in Washington, she’s $8 million richer,” the advertisement’s narrator said. “Ashley Hinson got rich. Iowa got left behind.”

Although the advertisement’s onscreen text qualified the figure as “up to” $8 million, its narration omitted that distinction.

Turek has made similar accusations, suggesting Hinson’s wealth increased by as much as 15 times since taking office. One of his campaign advertisements repeated the claim that Hinson was up to $8 million richer.

PolitiFact found that WinSenate arrived at its figure by comparing the lowest estimated value of Hinson’s assets in 2020 with the highest estimated value in 2025, rather than using consistent measures.

According to the financial disclosures examined by PolitiFact, Hinson reported assets valued between $726,000 and $2.4 million in 2020, with debts ranging from $65,000 to $150,000. Her 2025 disclosure listed assets between $2.3 million and $8.8 million, with no debt.

WinSenate calculated an approximately $8.2 million increase by subtracting Hinson’s maximum reported debt from her minimum reported assets in 2020, then comparing the resulting $576,000 figure with her maximum reported assets in 2025.

“It’s not an apples-to-apples comparison to compare the low-end estimate from one year to the high-end estimate from another year,” Michael Beckel, research director for the campaign-finance advocacy organization Issue One, told PolitiFact.

PolitiFact found that comparing the averages of the reported financial ranges instead produced an estimated increase of approximately $4 million, roughly half the amount highlighted by WinSenate.

The organization also found that much of the increase was associated with Hinson’s husband, Matt Arenholz, who sold his local insurance agency to Highstreet Insurance Partners in 2021.

Arenholz’s ownership stake in the agency had been valued between $250,000 and $500,000 in Hinson’s 2020 disclosure. Following the sale, Arenholz received a stake in Highstreet’s parent company, which Hinson spokesman Billy Fuerst said came in the form of private stock options.

Hinson’s 2025 disclosure valued that investment between $1 million and $5 million.

“It has no connection whatsoever to Ashley’s service in Congress, and the sale was in process before Ashley was elected to Congress,” Fuerst told PolitiFact.

PolitiFact concluded that WinSenate’s comparison presented the largest possible increase in Hinson’s reported wealth while omitting the significance of her husband’s business transaction, rating the claim “Mostly False.”

A separate WinSenate advertisement, dated September 25, accused Hinson of voting against releasing files related to Epstein while accepting campaign contributions from individuals named in the documents.

“Her top donors appear in the Epstein files over 700 times,” the advertisement stated.

“In Congress, Hinson voted against releasing the files,” the narrator continued. “When given another chance, she skipped the votes. Instead, she was raising money from a billionaire who’s in the Epstein files over 20 times.”

Another WinSenate advertisement accused Hinson of accepting nearly $90,000 from individuals named in the Epstein files and voting to keep the documents secret.

PolitiFact found that Hinson supported procedural motions in 2025 that prevented legislation concerning the release of the Epstein files from advancing, but noted that the advertisements omitted her subsequent vote in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

On July 15, 2025, Hinson joined other Republicans in supporting a procedural motion that passed 211-210. Defeating the motion would have allowed further consideration of an amendment introduced by Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) requiring the attorney general to release the Epstein files within 30 days.

PolitiFact also identified two additional procedural votes in July and September 2025 in which Hinson supported motions that prevented legislation related to releasing the files from advancing. She also declined to sign a discharge petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to force a House vote.

However, Hinson voted in favor of the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act, introduced by Massie and Khanna, when the legislation reached the House floor in November 2025.

The legislation required the Department of Justice to release records related to its Epstein investigation and passed the House by a vote of 427-1 after President Donald Trump directed lawmakers to support the measure.

Fuerst pointed PolitiFact to Hinson’s affirmative vote and described the July vote cited by WinSenate as a “procedural motion to advance several bills, including a defense appropriations bill.”

The fact-check also examined WinSenate’s allegations concerning Hinson’s campaign contributors.

PolitiFact reported that Federal Election Commission records and news reports showed Hinson received donations from individuals whose names appeared in Epstein-related documents, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Stephen Schwarzman, and Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan.

PolitiFact emphasized that the individuals were not accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes and that being mentioned in the documents did not establish wrongdoing or a close relationship with Epstein.

The organization also cited a Daily Beast report that Hinson and affiliated political action committees received nearly $90,000 over three campaigns from contributors named in the documents, although PolitiFact could not independently verify that total.

PolitiFact further noted that Turek himself received a contribution from venture capitalist John Doerr, whose name also appeared in Epstein-related documents. Doerr was not accused of wrongdoing, and the records did not reflect direct correspondence between him and Epstein.

While acknowledging Hinson’s opposition to earlier procedural efforts, PolitiFact determined that WinSenate’s characterization of her record was misleading because it omitted her eventual support for the legislation requiring the files’ release.

The organization rated the claim “Mostly False.”

The two PolitiFact ratings come after Turek himself incorrectly linked Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) and Randy Feenstra (R-IA) to the Dignity Act, immigration legislation that would establish a pathway to legal status for certain illegal aliens. During an interview with NBC News anchor Tom Llamas, Turek said, “I agree with Representative Nunn and Miller Meeks and Feenstra in the Dignity Act that there should be a pathway available for you. If you’re willing to pass a background check.” When Llamas pressed him on whether illegal immigrants should be deported, Turek replied, “Not an immediate deportation.” However, neither Miller-Meeks nor Feenstra is a cosponsor of the legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL).

On October 23 that Turek attended a San Francisco fundraiser hosted by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), an environmental organization that has advocated reducing red meat consumption, opposed a proposal for year-round E15 ethanol sales, and supported a $1.6 trillion Green New Deal proposal for public schools. Tickets for the fundraiser cost up to $10,000, and Turek received at least $19,500 from NRDC leadership. The organization has advocated eliminating a quarter pound of beef per week to reduce global warming and reducing red meat purchases by 30 percent. Iowa ranks second nationally in red meat production and leads the country in ethanol production, supporting approximately 42,000 jobs statewide. Turek also opposed permanent relief from the estate tax for more than 2 million family-owned farms, missed a vote on the Iowa Farm Bill, and voted to allow imitation-meat labeling for products in Iowa public schools.

During an October 8 Senate debate, Hinson criticized Turek for missing 58 percent of legislative votes this year and collecting more than $20,000 in taxpayer-funded per diem payments. “I think it’s really important to note that my opponent decided not to show up for work 58 percent of the time this year on policies that could have helped to support Iowans and Iowa farmers, including the Iowa Farm Bill, chose to not show up to vote for that bill,” Hinson said.

Turek, meanwhile, proposed requiring members of Congress to hold at least one annual in-person town hall, arguing that Hinson had not held one during her Senate campaign. “I did 47 town halls during my time in Congress, so you all at this table have covered many of them and understand clearly that I am a transparent and accessible representative,” Hinson responded.

Returning to Turek’s per diem payments, Hinson said, “So you took the per diem; you stole from taxpayers. You should refund that money.”