- In 2020, multiple outlets including the New York Times and Iowa newspapers reported that Ashley Hinson’s campaign materials and op-eds contained plagiarized content from various sources, including the New York Times, Des Moines Register, CNBC, The Hill, and her opponent Abby Finkenauer's platform (The Gazette, Telegraph Herald).
- Hinson publicly apologized for the plagiarism, emphasizing she was unaware of the copied content at the time drafts were reviewed, and attributed responsibility to campaign staff and the consulting firm FP1 Strategies (Globe Gazette, Gazette).
- The campaign responded to the reports by removing the plagiarized pieces from its website and materials after being notified by the New York Times (The Gazette, Globe Gazette).
- Democratic opponent Abby Finkenauer and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee criticized Hinson over the plagiarism controversy, raising concerns about her authenticity and calling for clarification on her actual policy positions (Telegraph Herald, Globe Gazette).
- As part of campaign tactics, Hinson’s team created a website and staged publicity stunts (e.g., the chicken suit “Lefty Chickenauer”) to challenge Finkenauer for more debates and to attract media attention (Telegraph Herald, Quad-City Times).
- The plagiarism incident posed a potential vulnerability for Hinson, casting doubt on her campaign’s transparency, authenticity, and oversight of staff and consultants.
2020: New York Times Reported Hinson Lifted Passages For Campaign Materials According to The Gazette, the Times reported, "Hinson 'lifted verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds more than a dozen times since her campaign began last year.'" [The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7/20/20]
2020: New York Times Identified Plagiarism In Hinson Campaign Essay According to The Gazette, "One example was an essay titled 'Creating America's new normal: China must be held accountable,' which contained three passages identical to a March 11 New York Times story, the Times reported." [The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7/20/20]
2020: Hinson Stated She Was Unaware Of Plagiarized Content And Blamed Staff According to The Gazette, Hinson responded on Twitter: 'I was unaware of the plagiarism when I reviewed drafts presented to me by staff. As a journalist I take this extremely seriously and am deeply sorry for the mistake. The staff responsible will be held accountable.' [The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7/20/20]
2020: Hinson Campaign Removed Copied Passages After Inquiry According to The Gazette, "The Hinson campaign took down some of the pieces that contained copied passages from other outlets after being informed by the Times, the Times reported." [The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7/20/20]
2020: Times Reported Hinson Lifted Passages For Campaign Website According to Globe Gazette, "Ashley Hinson, the Republican candidate in eastern Iowa's 1st Congressional District, lifted passages of text for her campaign website from other sources, including the New York Times, the Times reported. Hinson 'lifted verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds more than a dozen times since her campaign began last year,' the Times reported." [Globe Gazette, 7/20/20]
2020: NYT Material Was Used Verbatim In Hinson Op-Ed According to Globe Gazette, "One example was an essay titled 'Creating America's new normal: China must be held accountable,' which contained three passages identical to a March 11 New York Times story, the Times reported." [Globe Gazette, 7/20/20]
2020: Hinson Responded Publicly About Plagiarism Accusations According to Globe Gazette, "Hinson, a former television journalist, responded on Twitter: 'I was unaware of the plagiarism when I reviewed drafts presented to me by staff. As a journalist I take this extremely seriously and am deeply sorry for the mistake. The staff responsible will be held accountable.'" [Globe Gazette, 7/20/20]
2020: Hinson Campaign Removed Copied Content After Notification According to Globe Gazette, "The Hinson campaign took down some of the pieces that contained copied passages from other outlets after being informed by the Times, the Times reported." [Globe Gazette, 7/20/20]
July 2020: New York Times Reported Hinson Engaged In Plagiarism On Campaign Materials According to Telegraph Herald, "The New York Times reported Hinson 'has lifted verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds more than a dozen times since her campaign began last year.' The plagiarism included passages from stories by that newspaper, the Des Moines Register and CNBC, according to the Times. It also noted that Hinson's 'platform on veterans issues uses near-identical language' to Finkenauer's." [Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), 7/21/20]
July 2020: Hinson Apologized For Plagiarism And Blamed Staff Member According to Telegraph Herald, "Hinson is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Abby Finkenauer for Iowa's First Congressional District seat in a tightly contested race that has garnered national attention." [...] "Hinson issued a statement in response Monday. 'I was unaware of the plagiarism when I reviewed drafts presented to me by staff,' stated a tweet on the matter. 'As a journalist, I take this extremely seriously and am deeply sorry for the mistake. The staff responsible will be held accountable.'" [Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), 7/21/20]
July 2020: Abby Finkenauer Criticized Hinson For Plagiarism According to Telegraph Herald, "In a Facebook post Monday, Finkenauer responded: 'I'm deeply disappointed to hear my opponent has plagiarized the work of so many others - including me. Public service requires authenticity and integrity - and that's my commitment to #IA01.'" [Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), 7/21/20]
2020: Ashley Hinson Apologized For Plagiarism In Campaign Materials According to Globe Gazette, "the plagiarism by a consulting firm her campaign contracted with, which Hinson apologized for last week, 'raises serious questions about what Hinson actually believes,' the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says." [Globe Gazette, 7/29/20]
2020: Ashley Hinson's Campaign Consultant Plagiarized Policy Statements And An Op-Ed According to The Gazette, "reports that parts of her policy statements and an opinion page essay were plagiarized content from news organizations and her opponent's website, a Democratic campaign organization is calling on state Rep. Ashely Hinson to tell Iowans where she stands on issues." [The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7/30/20]
2020: Ashley Hinson Apologized For Plagiarism In Her Campaign According to The Gazette, "The plagiarism by a consulting firm her campaign contracted with, which Hinson apologized for last week, 'raises serious questions about what Hinson actually believes,' the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says in an ad it's launching Thursday on YouTube." [The Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 7/30/20]
2020: New York Times Reported Ashley Hinson's Campaign Web Content Was Plagiarized According to an opinion piece by Frank Durham in Gazette, "According to the New York Times digital edition on July 20, 2020, Hinson's campaign against incumbent Abby Finkenauer ‘has lifted verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds more than a dozen times since her campaign began last year.'" [Frank Durham - Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 8/1/20]
2020: New York Times Reported Ashley Hinson's Campaign Did Not Credit Sources in Plagiarized Content According to an opinion piece by Frank Durham in Gazette, "The key problem seems to have been the failure to give credit to the sources of those texts, but the campaign's plagiarism problem may be a symptom of a deeper problem." [Frank Durham - Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 8/1/20]
2020: New York Times Reported Ashley Hinson's Campaign Plagiarized Multiple Publications and Opponent's Platform According to an opinion piece by Frank Durham in Gazette, "In the same story, the Times reported that, 'Ms. Hinson's website also borrowed exact passages from the Des Moines Register and from The Hill, an outlet that covers Washington; in op-eds, she has taken phrases from CNBC; and her platform on veterans issues uses near-identical language to Ms. Finkenauer, her Democratic opponent, among other instances.'" [Frank Durham - Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 8/1/20]
2020: Ashley Hinson Accepted Responsibility for Plagiarized Campaign Pieces According to an opinion piece by Frank Durham in Gazette, "In an interview with news anchor Ron Steele of KWWL-TV posted on YouTube on July 21, Hinson acknowledged her responsibility for the plagiarized pieces." [Frank Durham - Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 8/1/20]
2020: Ashley Hinson Attributed Plagiarized Work to Consulting Firm FP1 Strategies According to an opinion piece by Frank Durham in Gazette, "She explained that the work had been done by D.C.-area political consulting firm, FP1 Strategies." [Frank Durham - Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 8/1/20]
2020: Hinson's Campaign Used Chicken Suit Stunt Against Finkenauer According to Telegraph Herald, "Her campaign staff posted pictures of a person in a chicken suit they named 'Lefty Chickenauer,' holding signs questioning the incumbent congresswoman's debate courage." [Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA), 9/27/20]
2020: Hinson's Campaign Created Website Highlighting Debate Challenge To Finkenauer According to Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (IA), "Hinson's campaign has unveiled leftychickenauer.com, a website that calls attention to the Hinson campaign's call for Finkenauer to participate in more debates in the race. The website also shows a person in a chicken costume." [Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier (IA), 9/28/20]
2020: Hinson's Campaign Called For More Debates With Finkenauer According to Quad-City Times, "Hinson's campaign has unveiled leftychickenauer.com, a website that calls attention to the Hinson campaign's call for Finkenauer to participate in more debates in the race. The website also shows a person in a chicken costume." [Quad-City Times (Davenport, Iowa), 9/28/20]
2023: Hinson's Campaign Called Corkery A 'Rubber-Stamp For The Radical Biden Agenda' According to Gazette, "Hinson's campaign, in a statement, claimed Corkery would be a 'rubber-stamp for the radical Biden agenda' that has fueled inflation, an open border, and global instability that has put Americans in danger." [Gazette (Cedar Rapids, IA), 10/17/23]