Iowa Dem who touted 'strong work ethic' misses more than half of her House votes
Lindsay James, a state legislator and Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa, missed over half of her votes in the state’s House of Representatives this past year, records show.In 2026,...
By Fox News · Fox News
Lindsay James, a state legislator and Democratic candidate for Congress in Iowa , missed over half of her votes in the state’s House of Representatives this past year, records show. In 2026, James missed 177 of 342 votes, according to the legislature’s records, accounting for 51.7% of the whole. The 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. "Lindsay James promised Iowans that campaigning wouldn’t distract her from the job she was elected to do. That didn’t last long," Emily Tuttle, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said. DEM REP MIKIE SHERRILL SKIPS 145 HOUSE VOTES AS NJ GOVERNOR'S RACE HEATS UP "James 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," Tuttle continued. James’ campaign said that she has a track record of representing constituents well. "Lindsay has always fought for Iowa families, taking on corporate greed and predatory landlords and writing the bill to cap the cost of insulin," Jackson Smith, a spokesperson for the campaign, said in a statement to Fox. "While 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’ costs," Smith said, referring to Joe Mitchell, a former state representative and a Republican candidate for the seat. At 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 "full-time." "Full-time campaigning and, of course, fulfilling my important work in the Iowa legislatu…