IA-01: Abby Finkenauer (D)
PROFILE
About Finkenauer:
Abby Finkenauer comes from a working class family in Dubuque County, Iowa. Her father is a retired Union pipefitter-welder, her mother worked for the Dubuque Community Schools. Her mother’s father served as Lieutenant in the Dubuque Fire Department, and her father’s father earned a Purple Heart in World War II.
In 2014, Finkenauer was elected to represent Dubuque in the Iowa Legislature, and in 2018 became the youngest woman ever to flip a congressional seat when she was elected to represent Iowa’s first district. Finkenauer is a vocal advocate for women.
She is the youngest of four siblings, all first-generation college graduates. She chose to stay in Iowa for college, earning her degree from Drake University, and she’s still paying off her over $15,000 in student loans.
After college, Finkenauer worked at the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque in partnership with Jackson, Jones, Delaware, Clayton, and Allamakee county affiliate foundations and served on the board of Greater Dubuque Development Corporation. She received the 2017 “Rising Star Award” from the Democratic Activist Women’s Network (DAWN’s List), after being nominated by former Iowa Senate President Pam Jochum.
