Representative Abby Finkenauer

Abby Lea Finkenauer (born December 27, 1988) is an American politician and diplomat who served as the United States representative from Iowa’s 1st congressional district from January 3, 2019, to January 3, 2021, and later as the United States Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues within the U.S. Department of State from 2022 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she has held elected office at both the state and federal levels and has been active in domestic policy, international engagement, and youth and women’s issues.

Finkenauer was born in Dubuque, Iowa, and grew up in nearby Sherrill, Iowa, in a working-class family rooted in the region’s manufacturing and public service traditions. She attended Hempstead High School in Dubuque, where she first became interested in public affairs and government. In 2006, while still in high school, she served as a page for U.S. Representative Jim Nussle, a Republican representing northeast Iowa in Congress. After Nussle left the House to run for governor, she continued her exposure to state politics in 2007 as a page for Patrick Murphy, the Democratic Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives. These early experiences in both federal and state legislative environments helped shape her interest in bipartisan public service and legislative work.

Finkenauer pursued higher education at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where she graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. During her college years and shortly thereafter, she became increasingly involved in Democratic politics. In 2007, she served as the Iowa volunteer coordinator for then-Senator Joe Biden’s presidential campaign, gaining experience in grassroots organizing and statewide political operations. She later worked as a legislative aide for Democratic state Representative Todd Taylor, deepening her familiarity with the legislative process, and as a communications specialist for the Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque, where she focused on community engagement and nonprofit communications.

Finkenauer entered elective office in 2014, when she ran for the Iowa House of Representatives from the 99th district, a seat previously held by Patrick Murphy. In the Democratic primary, she defeated defense attorney Steve Drahozal with 57.8 percent of the vote. In the general election, she faced lawyer Daniel Dlouhy and prevailed with 60.8 percent of the vote. At age 25, she became one of the younger members of the Iowa General Assembly. Representing the 99th district from 2015 to 2019, she focused on issues affecting working families, education, and infrastructure. She was unopposed for reelection in 2016, reflecting strong support within her district, and continued to serve until her election to Congress.

In May 2017, Finkenauer announced her candidacy for Iowa’s 1st congressional district, then represented by Republican Rod Blum of Dubuque, who had earlier unseated her former mentor Patrick Murphy in 2014. On June 5, 2018, she won the Democratic primary with 66.9 percent of the vote, defeating former congressional staffer Thomas Heckroth, engineer Courtney Rowe, and retired military officer George Ramsey. Her general election contest drew national attention; by September 2018, major election rating organizations classified the race as Lean Democratic or Tilt Democratic. On October 1, 2018, former President Barack Obama endorsed her candidacy. In the November 6, 2018 general election, she defeated Blum by approximately 16,900 votes. Finkenauer and fellow Democrat Cindy Axne, elected the same day in Iowa’s 3rd congressional district, became the first women from Iowa elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Finkenauer was also the second-youngest woman ever elected to the House, about ten months older than fellow 2018 freshman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez; she turned 30 one week before being sworn in on January 3, 2019.

During her single term in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2019 to 2021, Finkenauer represented Iowa’s 1st congressional district during a significant period in American history, participating in the legislative process and advocating for the interests of her constituents in northeast Iowa. She served in House leadership as an assistant whip in the 116th Congress. Her committee assignments included the Committee on Small Business, where she sat on the Subcommittee on Innovation and Workforce Development and chaired the Subcommittee on Rural Development, Agriculture, Trade, and Entrepreneurship, reflecting her focus on rural economies and small enterprises. She also served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, acting as vice chair of the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit and as a member of the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, where she worked on issues related to transportation networks, infrastructure investment, and water quality. In addition, she was active in several caucuses, including the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues, the Future Forum Caucus (where she served as vice chair), and the Congressional Endometriosis Caucus, which she co-founded. Drawing on her own experience with endometriosis, she worked to increase awareness and successfully supported an amendment that doubled federal research funding focused on the condition.

In 2020, Finkenauer sought reelection to Congress without facing a Democratic primary challenger. In the general election, she was defeated by Republican state Representative Ashley Hinson by 10,741 votes, ending her service in the House on January 3, 2021. On July 22, 2021, she announced her candidacy in the Democratic primary for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Iowa, seeking the seat held by longtime Republican Senator Chuck Grassley. Her campaign faced an early legal challenge when, on April 11, 2022, a judge ruled that she was ineligible for the Democratic primary ballot because her nominating petitions did not contain a sufficient number of verified signatures. Finkenauer appealed the decision, and on April 15, 2022, the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously reversed the lower court’s ruling, allowing her to appear on the primary ballot. In the June 2022 primary, she was defeated by retired U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Michael Franken, a result described by The Des Moines Register as an upset given her status as an early perceived front-runner.

Following her congressional service and Senate campaign, Finkenauer was appointed to a senior diplomatic role. On November 21, 2022, she was named United States Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues at the U.S. Department of State and took office on December 1, 2022, serving in that capacity from 2022 to 2025. In this role, she represented the United States in international forums focused on youth engagement, leadership, and civic participation. She completed numerous international visits, including travel to Australia, New Zealand, Qatar, and Thailand, and participated in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) in Bali from May 1 to 5, 2023, where she engaged with emerging leaders from across the region. Her work as Special Envoy emphasized empowering young people, strengthening democratic institutions, and fostering cross-cultural dialogue.

In her personal life, Finkenauer married Daniel Wasta, who served as Iowa political director for Senator Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign, on August 8, 2020. She is Roman Catholic and has spoken publicly about how her faith and upbringing in Dubuque and Sherrill inform her commitment to public service. Through her legislative work, advocacy on women’s health, and subsequent diplomatic service, she has remained engaged in national and international efforts to expand opportunities for young people and to address issues affecting working families and underrepresented communities.