Iowa Republican U.S. Senator Joni Ernst won’t seek reelection in 2026, she announced on Tuesday.
Last week, according to multiple news reports, Ernst was planning to make that announcement.
In a video message posted to social media platforms, Ernst said her family is aging and growing, so she "needs to give back to them."
She added that she is proud of her military and legislative career, and that she delivered on goal "to make Washington squeal."
“There is still so much to accomplish before the end of my second term, and I’ll keep fighting every single day, as I always have, to make Iowans’ voices loud and clear in the halls of Congress," she said.
Some Iowans have been critical of Ernst this year, as she supported the packages pushed by President Trump. Ernst took criticism in a town hall meeting in Parkersburg, Iowa, in May, when she defended some changes in eligibility for the federal Medicaid health program.
“Well, we all are going to die,” Ernst said.
Ernst is serving her second term in the Senate, and Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is hinting she’ll soon announce a campaign for the open seat. Republicans Jim Carlin and Joshua Smith previously announced they’d run for Senate.
On the Democratic Party side, Bob Krause, Jackie Norris, Nathan Sage, Josh Turek, and Zach Wahls have launched campaigns for Senate.
Update at 5 p.m. : Congresswoman Hinson within hours of the Ernst announcement has said she will run for the U.S. Senate seat.
