Ashley WolfTornabane

Ashley WolfTornabane (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Iowa's 4th Congressional District. She lost in the Democratic primary on June 2, 2026.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I'm a mom and everyday Iowan who has cared about politics since I was young (6th grade!). My husband and I grew up in Storm Lake and are fortunate to be raising our children here as well, in the most diverse community in Iowa, per capita. Before starting this campaign I was a stay-at-home Mom, thanks to very careful budgeting. I have previously worked as an instructional assistant at my public school district and as the Director of Christian Education at my Presbyterian church. Public education has always been very important to me, and working inside of the system only affirmed how desperate the needs are. Having worked for my church, my faith is important to me, but I believe in the separation of church and state. We have the freedom to worship or *not* to worship as we please in this country, and I intend to protect that right.

Americans are clearly sick of the status quo, where far too many live in poverty and paycheck-to-paycheck, so while there is a lot that will need to be rebuilt and protected, we can't just put things back to where they were before this current administration came into office, or else we will end up with leadership that will more effectively end our constitutional republic than this current administration has. We need real, meaningful change to improve everyday Americans' lives. This core belief is reflected in all three of my key messages listed below.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

We have to protect our democracy. In the short term we can do that starting January 3rd, 2027 by impeaching Donald Trump, who has shown a complete disregard for the rule of law and the U.S. Constitution. We must stop the illegal tariffs and wars, and provide the check on the president that the founding fathers intended. In the longer term, we need supreme court reform to ensure a less politicized supreme court that is bound by a code of ethics. Then, we must enact campaign finance reform to root out corruption, including by effectively overturning Citizens United to make it clear that corporations are not people and money is not speech. There is much more to be done, but little space here, so please check my website for more information!It is time for publicly funded universal healthcare like the happiest countries on earth benefit from. A lot of money has been spent trying to keep people scared of universal healthcare, telling us that the wait times are going to be too long and the taxes are going to be too high, but the happiest countries have this healthcare model where taxes pay for everyone's healthcare, so we know the taxes must not be too high, or else they wouldn't be the happiest countries. This healthcare model would be less expensive and less complicated than the current piecemeal approach we have in the US, it would save American lives, and it is the only way to stop our health care facilities from closing down because we would finally be paying every bill.We have to address the massive wealth gap, from both the top and the bottom. At the top we have billionaires who pay nothing in taxes. We have to end the practices and loopholes that allow them to avoid paying back into the society that makes them billionaires. At the bottom of our wealth gap, we have to raise the minimum wage. But our fifty states have very different economies, so my proposal is a federal minimum wage formula that would be applied state by state, rather than a flat federal minimum wage. This way Iowa gets the minimum wage we need, and California, for example, gets the minimum wage they need. And if we index wages to the cost of living, like several states already do, we end up with a sustainable minimum wage.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about all areas of public policy that affect everyday Iowans, including water quality, our high cancer rates, and agriculture. I am a member of Iowa Farmers Union and Practical Farmers of Iowa, which have both been studying, for decades, sustainable ag practices that would clean up our water and protect our soil, wildlife, and all of us. Additional areas that are affecting Iowans include trade and tariffs, diplomacy (or the lack of it, in the cases of the war in Iran and others), housing, childcare, underfunding of Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA, threats to Social Security, attacks on human rights, and more. I care about and am prepared to work with other Representatives to protect the livelihood of all Americans.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

I've been endorsed by:

Former 4th District Democratic US House candidate, Ryan Melton,

State Senate District 3 candidate, Mike Frantz,

State House District 7 candidate, Rachel Burns,

State House District 15 candidate, Benjamin Schauer,

State House District 16 candidate, Jack Goodman

Marshalltown City Council Member, Marco Yepez-Gomez,

Former Boone Mayor, Elijah Stines

Former Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, Brian McLain