DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst said Tuesday that she will not seek reelection next year, confirming in a video post on social media that she will retire after months of speculation about her plans.
The Republican senator's announcement opens up a Senate seat in the state known for its long-serving incumbents. Rep. Ashley Hinson, representing Iowa’s northeastern congressional district, announced Tuesday that she would seek the GOP nomination.
As President Donald Trump and fellow Republicans look to maintain their narrow majorities in both chambers, the loss of two incumbents in those races could come with challenges in the once-competitive state where Democrats are looking for pickup opportunities. Two of Iowa’s four congressional districts have been among the country’s most competitive in recent elections, and Democrats have already identified Hinson’s as an additional third target.
Ernst's announcement Tuesday followed reports last week that she was expected to bow out of the reelection bid this month. In a video, Ernst cited her aging and growing family as a reason for not running again.
“This was no easy decision,” Ernst said. “I never imagined this farm girl would have the opportunity to serve as a lieutenant colonel and then a United States senator.”
An open Senate seat is rare in Iowa
Ernst was first elected in 2014 to the open seat previously held by Tom Harkin, a Democrat who served for 30 years. Republican Chuck Grassley, Iowa’s senior U.S. senator, was first elected to the Senate in 1980. It is another unexpected retirement for Senate Republicans as they work to maintain their majority in the chamber, with Ernst joining Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who turned down a reelection bid after clashing with Trump.
Two Republicans — former state Sen. Jim Carlin and veteran Joshua Smith — had already entered the Senate primary intending to challenge Ernst.
Immediately after Ernst's announcement, Hinson thanked the senator for her service and previewed her entry into the race, saying in a post on X that Trump needs a “fighter in the Senate who will always have his back." Just hours later, Hinson joined conservative talk radio host Simon Conway to announce her candidacy.
“I’m running to be President Trump’s top ally in the United States Senate because we have to be working on continuing to deliver that America First agenda that is working for Iowans every single day,” she told Conway.
Several Democrats are seeking the party’s nomination for the Senate seat, including state Sen. Zach Wahls; state Rep. Josh Turek; Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board; and Nathan Sage, a former chamber of commerce president.
Ernst, Iowa's first woman elected to Congress, is an Iraq War combat veteran and retired from the Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel. She served for several years in Senate GOP leadership and was considered a vice presidential contender for Trump’s first White House run.
But Ernst has faced pressure from all sides in the last year. She took heat after signaling her hesitance to support one of Trump's Cabinet picks. She's also been one of the faces of Democrats' campaign against the sprawling tax and spending package after she made a retort about Medicaid cuts at a town hall.
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, touted Ernst's service helping Iowa families and making Washington “squeal,” a reference to her original campaign message that spoke of her experience castrating hogs.
“Traveling across the Hawkeye State with Joni, I know she loves Iowa, and Iowa loves her,” he wrote in a post on X.
Implications for a congressional district
Hinson, a former news anchor for KCRG-TV, won her most recent election with the support of 57% of voters in Iowa's 2nd Congressional District.
Hinson was first elected to represent Iowa's northeastern corner when she beat out one-term Rep. Abby Finkenauer in 2020. Finkenauer, a Democrat, had ousted a GOP incumbent in the midterm election just two years earlier, helping Democrats retake control of the U.S. House during Trump’s first term in office.
Hinson has since put up strong fundraising numbers to buoy her decisive wins.
The district, including the cities of Cedar Rapids, Dubuque and Waterloo, has just shy of 29,000 more active voters registered as Republicans than as Democrats.
“This is simple: Iowa voters trust Republicans to deliver real, commonsense results and have no interest in the Democrats’ radical agenda," Emily Tuttle, spokeswoman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said in a statement. "This seat will stay red.”
Still, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in April included the district in its list of potential pickups. Lindsay James, a state representative and pastor; and Clint Twedt-Ball, a pastor who founded a nonprofit, are among the Democratic candidates running for the seat.
Hannah Fingerhut, The Associated Press
