Lindsay James, a state legislator and Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa, missed over half of her votes in the state\u2019s House of Representatives this past year, records show.
\nIn 2026, James missed 177 of 342 votes, according to the legislature\u2019s records, accounting for 51.7% of the whole.
\nThe absences clash with assurances James made about how her campaign might impact her legislative duties and has opened her up to Republican-led criticisms that she has prioritized her potential role instead of the one she has now.
\n\u201cLindsay James promised Iowans that campaigning wouldn\u2019t distract her from the job she was elected to do. That didn\u2019t last long,\u201d Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said.
\nDEM REP MIKIE SHERRILL SKIPS 145 HOUSE VOTES AS NJ GOVERNOR\u2019S RACE HEATS UP<\/p>\n
\u201cJames chose her own political ambitions over showing up for work, proving that when given the choice between serving constituents and serving herself, she puts herself first,\u201d Tuttle continued.
\nJames\u2019 campaign said that she has a track record of representing constituents well.
\n\u201cLindsay has always fought for Iowa families, taking on corporate greed and predatory landlords and writing the bill to cap the cost of insulin,\u201d Jackson Smith, a spokesperson for the campaign, said in a statement to Fox.\u00a0
\n\u201cWhile Lindsay listens to and works for the Iowans making impossible economic choices caused by Joe Mitchell and his Washington allies, Mitchell has been using his campaign cash to party with Washington insiders and will be a rubber stamp for the policies raising Iowa families\u2019 costs,\u201d Smith said, referring to Joe Mitchell, a former state representative and a Republican candidate for the seat.
\nAt the outset of her campaign, James told viewers in an interview that she would continue to prioritize her work in the House of Representatives despite intentions to campaign \u201cfull-time.\u201d
\n\u201cFull-time campaigning and, of course, fulfilling my important work in the Iowa legislature,\u201d James said when asked whether she would also continue working as a minister.
\n\u201cYou know me, I have a pretty strong work ethic at the capitol, early, very late, providing for my constituents. That will never stop. That\u2019s just who I am and how I\u2019m wired,\u201d James said.
\nEven so, James, who first joined the Iowa House in 2019, has missed several key votes in the chamber.
\nLAKEN RILEY ACT ROILS NJ GOVERNOR\u2019S RACE AS 2 DEMS SKIP ROLL: \u2018THE MORE SOMEONE CAMPAIGNS THE LESS THEY VOTE\u2019<\/p>\n
Instead of voting on a bill to limit screen time for students in schools, she held a campaign event in Cedar Rapids on April 20, roughly two hours from Des Moines.
\nJust ten days later, James also missed a vote on whether to make animal torture a felony on April 30 to host a meet-and-greet at a brewery in Decorah, Iowa.
\nIn a third case, she also skipped the chamber\u2019s consideration of whether to lower property taxes in order to host another candidate activity in Dubuque \u2014 a three-hour drive from the capitol.
\nJames recently won a Democratic primary earlier this month as she wages a campaign to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa.
\nSWALWELL\u2019S \u2018I SHOULD BE WORKING\u2019 GYM, POOL VIDEOS RESURFACE AS DEM RIVAL HAMMERS HIS MISSED HOUSE VOTES<\/p>\n
Hinson, who has represented the district since 2021, announced she would not seek reelection as she pursues a Senate seat to replace outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"