MARION, Iowa - Iowa Republican Congressional candidate Ashley Hinson remains in a competitive race after apologizing more than once this week for plagiarism.
Hinson says she was unaware that some verbiage on her campaign website had been plagiarized from news outlets.
The New York Times has accused Hinson of lifting "verbatim sentences on her campaign website and in published op-eds" more than a dozen times since 2019.
Hinson says she wanted to own up to what happened, noting an employee of a consulting firm for her campaign is responsible for the plagiarism.
She told KWWL TV, “It's absolutely appalling to me that this happened. I know it's unacceptable to me, and I know it's unacceptable to voters, and that's why I want to take ownership," she added, “Integrity is what matters to me.”
Hinson is a Iowa state senator from Marion and a former TV news reporter. She referred to herself as a "recovering journalist" while introducing President Trump at a rally in 2017.
Election experts rate her race against Democratic incumbent Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer as one of the most competitive in the country.
(Image from Ashley Hinson Campaign site)