Cindy Axne
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Iowa's 3rd district
In office
January 3, 2019 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byDavid Young
Succeeded byZach Nunn
Personal details
Born
Cynthia Lynne Wadle

(1965-04-20) April 20, 1965 (age 58)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseJohn Axne
Children2
EducationUniversity of Iowa (BA)
Northwestern University (MBA)

Cynthia Lynne Axne (née Wadle; born April 20, 1965) is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 2019 until 2023. She is currently a senior adviser to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Biden Administration.

A member of the Democratic Party, Axne narrowly defeated incumbent Republican David Young in the 2018 elections. The district was anchored in the state capital Des Moines; it included much of the state's southwest quadrant, including Council Bluffs. Axne ran for reelection to a third term in 2022, but lost to Republican challenger Zach Nunn, a U.S. Air Force officer. She is the most recent Democrat to represent Iowa in Congress.

Early life and career

Axne was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1965, the daughter of Terry and Joanne Wadle.[1] She graduated from Valley High School in West Des Moines, Iowa. She earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University.[2]

After graduating from college, Axne worked in leadership development and strategic planning for the Tribune Company in Chicago. From 2005 to 2014, she worked in the Iowa state government on service delivery in over 20 state agencies in the executive branch.[2]

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

2018

See also: 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 3

In 2018, Axne ran for the United States House of Representatives in Iowa's 3rd congressional district.[3][4] She won the Democratic primary election with 57.91% of the vote[5] and defeated incumbent representative David Young in the general election, becoming, with Abby Finkenauer, one of the first two women from Iowa elected to the House.[6] Young carried 15 of the district's 16 counties, but Axne won Polk County, the district's most populous county and home to Des Moines, by over 30,000 votes, far exceeding the overall margin of 8,000.[7]

2020

See also: 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 3

In 2020, Axne won the Democratic primary virtually unopposed, facing only write-in candidates.[8] She then defeated David Young in a rematch in the general election, with 48.9% of the vote to Young's 47.6%.[9]

2022

See also: 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Iowa § District 3

Axne ran for reelection[10] and lost to Republican nominee Zach Nunn by a margin of 0.7%.

Tenure

Axne took office during the 2018–2019 United States federal government shutdown and requested that her pay be withheld until the shutdown ended.[11] On January 30, 2019, she co-sponsored a bill, the Shutdown to End All Shutdowns (SEAS) Act, to prevent future federal government shutdowns from happening.[12]

In September 2021, Axne was accused of failing to disclose up to $645,000 in stock trades.[13] Reports also found that she had bought and sold stocks in companies she was tasked to oversee as a member of the House Financial Services Committee.[14]

In July 2022, The Committee on Ethics voted to clear Axne of any wrongdoing and dismissed previously filed complaints on stock trading.[15]

In September 2022, Axne voted for the Inflation Reduction Act by proxy while on vacation in France.[16]

As of October 2022, Axne has voted in line with Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[17] In an October 2022 interview, she called Biden "the most impactful president we've seen in this country's history".[18]

In 2022, Axne voted for H.R. 1808: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022.[19][20]

Committee assignments

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

Cindy Axne speaking to 2019 Women's March attendees in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines
2018 Iowa 3rd Congressional District Democratic Primary[22]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Axne 32,070 57.91
Democratic Eddie J. Mauro 14,582 26.33
Democratic Pete D'Alessandro 8,595 15.52
Democratic Write-ins 136 0.25
Total votes 55,383 100
2018 Iowa 3rd Congressional District General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Axne 175,642 49.3
Republican David Young (incumbent) 167,933 47.1
Libertarian Bryan Holder 7,267 2.0
Legal Marijuana Now Mark Elworth Jr. 2,015 0.6
Green Paul Knupp 1,888 0.5
Independent Joe Grandanette 1,301 0.4
n/a Write-ins 195 0.1
Total votes 356,241 100.0
2020 Iowa 3rd Congressional District Democratic Primary[23]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Axne (incumbent) 76,681 99.2
n/a Write-ins 623 0.8
Total votes 77,304 100.0
2020 Iowa 3rd Congressional District General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Cindy Axne (incumbent) 219,205 48.9
Republican David Young 212,997 47.6
Libertarian Bryan Jack Holder 15,361 3.4
n/a Write-ins 384 0.1
Total votes 447,947 100.0
2022 Iowa 3rd Congressional District General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Zach Nunn 156,262 50.2
Democratic Cindy Axne (incumbent) 154,117 49.6
n/a Write-ins 534 0.2
Total votes 310,913 100.0

Post-congressional career

On June 7, 2023, Axne was appointed as Senior Advisor for Rural Engagement, Delivery and Prosperity to the U.S. Department of Agriculture under the Biden Administration.[24]

Personal life

Axne and her husband, John, operate a digital design firm. They have two sons and live in West Des Moines.[2] They are members of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in West Des Moines.

Axne is 6 feet (1.83 m) tall.[25] She is of the same height as her former fellow House Democrat Lori Trahan.[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Candidate Conversation - Cindy Axne (D)". Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales. August 31, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Three takeaways on Cindy Axne, 3rd District Democrat running for Congress". The Des Moines Register. May 1, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  3. ^ Mike Brownlee (June 2, 2017). "Democrat Cindy Axne looking to unseat David Young in Iowa congressional race | Politics". Omaha World-Herald. Archived from the original on February 18, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  4. ^ William Petroski (May 26, 2018). "What are the key issues for Cindy Axne, Democratic candidate for the 3rd District?". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  5. ^ "Iowa's 3rd District: Cindy Axne wins primary, will vie against GOP Rep. David Young". The Des Moines Register. June 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "Iowa voters elect female governor, 2 female U.S. representatives, record number of female lawmakers". The Des Moines Register. November 7, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
  7. ^ "IA District 03". Our Campaigns. Archived from the original on January 24, 2021. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
  8. ^ "Primary Election - 2020 CANVASS SUMMARY" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "General Election - 2020 Canvass Summary" (PDF). Iowa Secretary of State. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  10. ^ "Cindy Axne is running for reelection in Congress, closing the door on Iowa gubernatorial bid". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2021.
  11. ^ Peterson, Mike (January 11, 2019). "Axne axes salary during shutdown". Shenandoah, Iowa: KMA-FM. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  12. ^ Peterson, Mike (January 30, 2019). "Axne pushes government shutdown ban bill". Shenandoah, Iowa: KMA-FM. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne failed to disclose up to $645k in stock trades, government watchdog says". The Des Moines Register. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  14. ^ "Financial Services Dem Buys and Sells Finance Stocks". Sludge. December 8, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  15. ^ "House panel dismisses complaint over Axne stock trades". July 29, 2022. Archived from the original on February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2023.
  16. ^ Price, Dave (September 26, 2022). "Insiders: Axne was in France during vote, Hinson opposes GOP governors flying migrants". Des Moines: WHO-DT. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  17. ^ Bycoffe, Anna Wiederkehr and Aaron (April 22, 2021). "Does Your Member Of Congress Vote With Or Against Biden?". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2022.
  18. ^ "Grassley, Reynolds to join Trump in Iowa, Axne calls Biden 'most impactful' in history". Des Moines: WHO-DT. Archived from the original on March 1, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "House passes assault-style weapons ban | CNN Politics". CNN. July 29, 2022. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  20. ^ "H.R. 1808: Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 -- House Vote #410 -- Jul 29, 2022". Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  21. ^ "Leadership: New Democrat Coalition". New Democrat Coalition. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  22. ^ "June 5, 2018 Primary Election". Iowa Secretary of State. Archived from the original on August 21, 2018. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  23. ^ "Primary Election June 2, 2020 | United States Representative District 3 – Democratic". Iowa Secretary of State. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  24. ^ Bacharier, Galen. "Former Iowa U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne takes new post at Department of Agriculture". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "Cindy Axne tells how she fought off would-be rapist in speech to Des Moines business leaders". The Des Moines Register. October 2, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2020. A former West Des Moines Valley basketball player who stands six feet tall...
  26. ^ "Lori Trahan helped set a mark for women elected to Congress. Here's what makes her tick". The Boston Globe. January 6, 2019. The 6-foot Trahan easily stood out.

External links

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U.S. House of Representatives Preceded byDavid Young Member of the U.S. House of Representativesfrom Iowa's 3rd congressional district 2019–2023 Succeeded byZach Nunn U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) Preceded byDavid Youngas Former US Representative Order of precedence of the United Statesas Former US Representative Succeeded byMark Neumannas Former US Representative
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