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CEDAR RAPIDS — Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson formally kicked off her bid for the U.S. Senate on Sunday, rallying supporters in a hotel ballroom with a promise to be former President Donald Trump’s “top ally” in Washington and a sharp attack on Democrats she said want to “push Iowa past the brink.”

Hinson, who is currently serving her third term in the U.S. House, cast her campaign as a continuation of Trump’s America First agenda, pledging to cut taxes, tighten immigration enforcement and defend conservative cultural priorities.

“I am running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate,” Hinson told the crowd. “… At heart, I’m a mama bear who refuses to stand by and

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