Ernst Confirms She Won't Run in 2026

UPDATE Sep 2, 2025 8:29 PM CDT

Republican Sen. Joni Ernst has confirmed that she won't seek reelection next year. The decision gives Iowa its first open Senate race since she was elected in 2014, the Des Moines Register reports. In a video posted on X Tuesday, the 55-year-old said it was time to get back to her family as it "ages and grows," reports Fox News. "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." Ernst, the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate, said she's "not slowing down anytime soon. There is still so much to accomplish before the end of my term."

Aug 29, 2025 11:56 AM CDT

Just days ago, a Democratic candidate for US Senate in Iowa dropped out of the race to give a fellow Democrat a better chance to beat GOP incumbent Joni Ernst, who was expected to run for her third term in 2026. Now it appears that Ernst won't be an issue, either: Multiple sources tell CBS News that the 55-year-old senator won't be launching a reelection campaign after all, with an official announcement on that expected next Thursday. Two sources confirm Ernst's plans to CNN, which notes she has struggled over what to do "for months."

Citing a Republican official, the outlet also reports that GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson is now expected to jump into the race. Hinson and any other candidates from her party would be going up against a crowded Democratic field, which so far includes state Sen. Zach Wahls and state Rep. Josh Turek, among others. Earlier in August, Ernst seemed confident that the Hawkeye State will remain under Republican control, though she didn't show her hand on her own run.

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"Every day we get a new Democratic member of the House or Senate that decides to run for this Senate seat—bring it on," she said. "Bring it on, folks. ... [A]t the end of the day, Iowa is going to be red." Ernst, a staunch ally of President Trump—she was even said to have been on the short list to be his running mate in 2016, though she withdrew her name from that list—has served in the Senate since 2015.