BRET BAIER, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: Well, a big Senate race coming down to the final 18 days here in Iowa. Joining us tonight, Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate.

Congresswoman, thanks for being here.

REP. ASHLEY HINSON (R-IA), U.S. SENATE CANDIDATE: Bret, thanks for having me on.

BAIER: Just to be clear, this is a cool day, chilly. I have a jacket on, you went back and got a different layer on.

HINSON: Yeah, I got a base layer on. It's just -- you know, it's never too cold, it's only bad gear, that's our attitude here in Iowa.

BAIER: You have Iowa blood, OK.

HINSON: That's right.

BAIER: Listen, we put up these polls. They are within the margin of error. Pretty much every poll you see is that way now. What do your internals show in this race? How do you feel heading into the close here?

HINSON: Yeah, well, it is a close race here in Iowa. But I run every race that way, like it's 10 points down. I flipped a seat in 2020. It was close then. And I will tell you that the -- the poll I believe is the one that comes on Election Day. I think we're no stranger to misses on the polling here in Iowa. Look at that Selzer poll just a couple of years ago that was way off.

BAIER: That was amazing, yeah.

HINSON: So, well, I just go out and I earn every vote. I run like I'm 10 points down. And I'm going across the entire state right now on my bus, so.

BAIER: Where do you think the big issue is? When you hear people out and -- yeah, I know you do this bus tour. You listen to people. What do they say? What is there issue? We talked to voters earlier around Cedar Rapids. What do you hear?

HINSON: Yeah, well, I -- I was just at a farm this afternoon, right? We were talking about the challenges that our farmers are facing right now. Input costs are too high and I think we need to find ways to lower those. It's why I've proposed taking a -- a serious look at fertilizer, and how we can incentivize more domestic production. I advocated to the administration to get the countervailing duties taken off of the imports that we need to make more fertilizer here. Diesel is really high. I want to make sure we have more refining capacity here in the United States.

So I think there's a lot we can do to help support our ag community. I hear it directly from them. And then I'm a mom to two teenage boys, so I absolutely understand the issues that our families are going through here in Iowa, and I want to make life more affordable for them. So tackling issues around childcare, housing. The average age to buy a new house right now is over the age of 40. We have to do better there so that people can actually achieve the American dream. So those are the issues that I'm focused on, because that's what I'm hearing from Iowans.

BAIER: You know, the president, as we put up this poll from 2024, won this state by double digits, 13 points over Kamala Harris. You know, you look at his approval ratings here now, they're underwater. There's been a lot made of whether you're pushing back enough or how you would vote against President Trump. He is coming here next week, Thursday, to Sioux City. Will you be there?

HINSON: I will be there at the rally to welcome him to Iowa because I think this is a contrast election. And the reason why I'm running is because there is more to do. There is never a good time to elect a tax-and-spend liberal to the United States Senate, but now would be the worst time. And as our country experiences challenges, who do you want on the other side of this right now? This is a six-year Senate term, right? I -- I think about what's ahead for our country, and you want a mom, a minivan-driving mom who has common sense, who's driving that common sense back into Washington, D.C. I think that's what Iowans want as their U.S. senator.