If elected, she promises to limit herself to two terms, saying 12 years is plenty of time to get something done in Washington. And because the current seniority system is bad for democracy.
"Because you've got people who are head of things that aren't necessarily expert in them, aren't actually living those issues day to day, but are just there because all of a sudden it was owed to them because they'd been long enough. I mean that's not how our country should work and that's not how our politics should work."
And she wonders why Republican incumbent Iowa US Senator Chuck Grassley says he favors them, but is now running for his 7th term, following 6 years in the House.
Finkenauer, who's from Dubuque, served one term in the House, and says she worked hard to provide child care and help small businesses.
"One of the ones that I'm very proud of is a bill lowering the cost of prescription drugs - making Medicare negotiate directly with drug companies and then taking those savings and putting them into dental, vision, and hearing coverage."
She lost her bid for re-election in Iowa's former 1st Congressional District in 2020.
After visiting the Quad Cities Tuesday, she plans to campaign Wednesday in Des Moines, and in Cedar Rapids on Thursday.
Two other Democrats are in the race for the Senate, Mike Franken and Glenn Hurst, and another Republican is challenging Grassley, Jim Carlin.