2026年6月29日 美国东部时间下午3:41 / 福克斯新闻
林赛·詹姆斯在州议会就关键法案投票期间，在锡达拉皮兹和迪科拉举行竞选活动
作者：利奥·布里塞尼奥 福克斯新闻
记录显示，爱荷华州州议员、国会民主党候选人林赛·詹姆斯去年在州众议院的投票缺席率超过半数。
根据州议会的记录，詹姆斯在2026年的342次投票中缺席了177次，占比达51.7%。
这些缺席情况与詹姆斯此前就竞选活动可能对其立法职责产生的影响作出的承诺相悖，也让她遭到共和党方面的批评，称其优先考虑自己的潜在公职身份，而非现任职位。
“林赛·詹姆斯曾向爱荷华州选民承诺，竞选不会让她分心于当选后的工作。但这并没有持续多久，”美国全国共和党国会委员会发言人艾米丽·塔特尔说道。
民主党众议员米基·谢里尔缺席145次众议院投票，新泽西州州长竞选升温
爱荷华州议会大厦（左）与爱荷华州民主党众议员林赛·詹姆斯同框，詹姆斯正竞选该州第二国会选区议员席位。（斯蒂芬·马图伦/盖蒂图片社；爱荷华州众议院）
“詹姆斯将自己的政治野心置于为选民履职之上，这证明了当在服务选民和服务自己之间做出选择时，她会把自己放在第一位，”塔特尔补充道。
詹姆斯的竞选团队表示，她有着出色的选民服务记录。
“林赛一直为爱荷华州的家庭而奋斗，对抗企业贪婪和掠夺性房东，还起草了 capped 胰岛素价格的法案，”竞选团队发言人杰克逊·史密斯在给福克斯新闻的一份声明中说道。
“当林赛倾听并为因乔·米切尔及其华盛顿盟友而陷入艰难经济抉择的爱荷华州民众奔走时，米切尔却一直在用竞选资金与华盛顿内部人士厮混，并且会成为推高爱荷华州家庭生活成本政策的橡皮图章，”史密斯说道，这里指的是前州议员、共和党该席位候选人乔·米切尔。
在竞选初期，詹姆斯在一次采访中告诉观众，尽管打算“全身心投入”竞选，但她仍会优先推进在众议院的工作。
“全身心投入竞选，当然也会完成我在爱荷华州议会的重要工作，”当被问及是否会继续担任牧师时，詹姆斯说道。
“你们了解我，我在州议会大厦就有着极强的职业道德，早到晚走，为选民服务。这永远不会改变。这就是我的本性，也是我的行事方式，”詹姆斯说道。
即便如此，2019年首次进入爱荷华州众议院的詹姆斯还是缺席了议会多次关键投票。
莱肯·赖利法案搅动新泽西州州长竞选，两名民主党议员缺席投票：‘竞选越卖力，投票越少’
2019年10月9日，爱荷华州议会大厦在爱荷华州得梅因市拍摄，当时距2020年2月3日举行的爱荷华州民主党党团会议仅剩数月。（乔·雷德莱/盖蒂图片社）
4月20日，她没有参加一项限制学生在校屏幕使用时间的法案投票，而是在距离得梅因约两小时车程的锡达拉皮兹举行了一场竞选活动。
仅仅十天后的4月30日，詹姆斯又缺席了一项将虐待动物定为重罪的投票，转而在爱荷华州迪科拉的一家啤酒厂举办了一场见面会。
第三次缺席是，她为了在迪比克——距离议会大厦三小时车程的地方——举办另一场候选人活动，而错过了众议院就降低财产税提案进行的审议。
詹姆斯本月早些时候赢得民主党初选，目前正在竞选接替现任议员、共和党人阿什利·辛普森的席位。
斯沃韦尔‘我本该去工作’的健身房、泳池视频重出水面，民主党对手抨击其缺席众议院投票
2025年8月23日，众议员阿什利·辛普森在爱荷华州锡达拉皮兹举行的“阿什利烧烤派对”筹款活动上与来宾交谈。（斯科特·奥尔森/盖蒂图片社）
点击此处下载福克斯新闻APP
辛普森自2021年起代表该选区，她宣布不会寻求连任，转而竞选接替即将离任的爱荷华州共和党参议员乔尼·恩斯特的参议院席位。
利奥·布里塞尼奥是福克斯新闻数字频道国会团队的政治记者，此前曾任职于《世界杂志》。
Iowa Dem who touted ‘strong work ethic’ misses more than half of her House votes
June 29, 2026 3:41pm EDT / Fox News
Lindsay James held campaign events in Cedar Rapids and Decorah while the chamber voted on key bills
By Leo Briceno 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
The Iowa state capitol, left, pictured alongside Iowa Rep. Lindsay James, D-Iowa, a candidate for Congress in the state’s second congressional district.(Stephen Maturen/Getty Images; Iowa House of Representatives)
“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 legislature,” James said when asked whether she would also continue working as a minister.
“You know me, I have a pretty strong work ethic at the capitol, early, very late, providing for my constituents. That will never stop. That’s just who I am and how I’m wired,” James said.
Even so, James, who first joined the Iowa House in 2019, has missed several key votes in the chamber.
LAKEN RILEY ACT ROILS NJ GOVERNOR’S RACE AS 2 DEMS SKIP ROLL: ‘THE MORE SOMEONE CAMPAIGNS THE LESS THEY VOTE’
The Iowa State Capitol building is seen in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 9, 2019, ahead of the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses scheduled for Feb. 3, 2020.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Instead of voting on a bill to limit screen time for students in schools, she held a campaign event in Cedar Rapids on April 20, roughly two hours from Des Moines.
Just ten days later, James also missed a vote on whether to make animal torture a felony on April 30 to host a meet-and-greet at a brewery in Decorah, Iowa.
In a third case, she also skipped the chamber’s consideration of whether to lower property taxes in order to host another candidate activity in Dubuque — a three-hour drive from the capitol.
James recently won a Democratic primary earlier this month as she wages a campaign to fill the seat currently held by Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa.
SWALWELL’S ‘I SHOULD BE WORKING’ GYM, POOL VIDEOS RESURFACE AS DEM RIVAL HAMMERS HIS MISSED HOUSE VOTES
Rep. Ashley Hinson speaks to guests during her Ashley’s BBQ Bash fundraiser in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Aug. 23, 2025.(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Hinson, who has represented the district since 2021, announced she would not seek reelection as she pursues a Senate seat to replace outgoing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
发表回复