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6h ago

Joni Ernst Won’t Seek Reelection, Opening Iowa Senate Racen 2026

Rep. Ashley Hinson entered the GOP primary, creating an opening Democrats hope makes the race more competitive.

FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)
FILE - Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, speaks at a hearing on Capitol Hill Jan. 29, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell, File)
Senator Joni Ernst speaks to reporters in Washington, D.C. on November 19, 2024.

Overview

  • Ernst announced her retirement in a video, citing a desire to focus on family after two terms as Iowa’s first woman elected to federal office and the first female combat veteran in the Senate.
  • Within hours, Rep. Ashley Hinson declared her bid for the Republican nomination, a move that could set up a separate battle for her northeastern Iowa House seat.
  • Democrats already in the field include state Sen. Zach Wahls, state Rep. Josh Turek, Des Moines school board chair Jackie Norris and Knoxville Chamber of Commerce leader Nathan Sage.
  • Political handicappers have rated the contest as likely Republican, and analysts say the open-seat dynamic could narrow the GOP’s advantage in a state Trump carried by double digits in 2024.
  • Ernst’s exit joins other unexpected GOP retirements such as Sen. Thom Tillis, raising the stakes for a Republican Party working to protect a narrow Senate majority in 2026.