Overview

• Multiple sources told CBS News that Ernst has informed confidantes she will forgo a third term and plans to go public next week.
• Her office did not respond to requests for comment, and the decision has not been formally announced.
• Reporting attributes her choice to a previously stated two‑term intention and plans to enter the private sector.
• Democrats Zach Wahls, Josh Turek and Jackie Norris have already launched campaigns anticipating an open Iowa seat.
• White House officials hoped she would run again as other Republicans exit the Senate, and Ernst recently told a local audience that Iowa would remain red.