Des Moines, Iowa (AP) – US Senator Joni Ernstthe Iraq War combat veteran and Iowa’s first woman elected to Congress next month will announce they will not seek re-election, leaving another vacant seat in Iowa, leaving another vacant that could affect the vote. Democrats Look for states looking for pick-up opportunities.
Ernst is taking part when Senate Republicans work to maintain a majority in the Chamber of Commerce Waves of her companions I get a headache for the party. Senator Tom Tillis of North Carolina Clash with President Donald Trump.
Ernst is set to announce that she will opt out of the third-term race in September, according to four people familiar with her plans who spoke on Friday to preview the announcement on condition of anonymity.
Ernst, a former Army National Guard member and retired lieutenant colonel, was first elected to the Senate seat in 2014. She served in third place in Senate GOP leadership for several years and was considered the vice presidential candidate for Trump’s first White House run.
Her decision comes after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, the state’s first female governor, said she wouldn’t run for reelection. It urged many elected Republican officials in the state to consider open opportunities to run for a higher office that could begin again with Ernst’s departure.
Democrats are trying to mount Iowa’s comeback
The Democrats were looking for it opportunity A difficult battle even in a potentially favorable midyear to make a political comeback in a once competitive state. Ernst later portrayed a repulsion retort About Medicaid cut At City Hall. As Ernst explained that the law protects Medicaid for those who need it most, someone in the crowd screamed that people would die without reporting, and Ernst replied, “People… well, we’re all going to die.”
The busy, major field of Senate Democratic candidates is taking advantage of the moment, with Ernst Senate votes voting for an early message. They have to pivot when other Republicans enter the fight.
The election is the first time Ernst has ever been held since 2014, when Ernst was elected in the first Senate election in decades. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley has held the seat for 45 years.
Ernst appeared in the field of lesser-known candidates seeking Republican nominations in 2014, rising to public perception in an ad that spoke about her experience castration and castration. She won reelection of more than 6% points in 2020, and entered with 52% shy voters.
Among Trump supporters, Ernst caused waves earlier this year Showing hesitation His choice for Pete Hegses, the Department of Defense secretary. Hegses said in the past that he had never thought women should serve in combat roles, and he was accused. Sexual assault What he denied.
But Ernst, himself Sexual assault survivor And although she has worked to improve how the military handles allegations of fraud, she wanted to hear him respond to those points. It was induced Pressure Campaign It highlighted Trump’s power on Capitol Hill and included the threat of a bruised primary.
It wasn’t the first time Ernst has gone to his toes with Trump supporters. She also faced accusations of the 2022 vote. Protect same-sex marriage.
Still, Ernst would have benefited from nearly 200,000 active voters registered as Republicans than Democrats. Ernst announced his campaign manager in June, the October date of his annual fundraiser, bringing up $1.8 million in shyness in the first half of the year.
Possibly a seat candidate
Rep. Ashley Hinson from the Cedar Rapids area of eastern Iowa is widely seen as likely to take part in the race. Two of Iowa’s four congressional seats have already been more competitive in the country in the past few elections.
If Hinson participates in the Senate race, she will be her district, which won 57% of the vote in 2024, according to Iowa Republican strategist Luke Martz.
“We could be in the middle of a turbulent period, and the two seats are already very targeted, which would be a third depending on who’s nominated,” Martz said.
A spokesman for the National Republican Senate Committee, the official Senate Republican campaign unit, declined to comment. Similarly, the messages left to Aide Ernst were not immediately returned.
But the strategist close to the Senate Republican leader said that Hinson’s interest in running was encouraged in light of her victory and fundraising ability in the politically mixed Northeast Iowa area.
Messages left to Hinson’s spokesperson were not immediately returned.
Several Democrats are seeking nominations for the party’s seats, including Sen. Zach Walls. State Sen. Josh Turek; Jackie Norris, chairman of the Des Moines Education Board. Nathan Sage, former president of the Chamber of Commerce.
Two Republicans – former state senator Jim Carlin and veteran Joshua Smith were already in the primary to challenge Ernst.
Trend Republicans
A perennial swing nation, Iowa has been trending Republicans for over a decade, with Republicans gaining governor since 2010 and US Senate seats since 2014.
After Democrat Barack Obama carried the state in 2008 and 2012, Trump continued to carry it three times in a row last year at his widest margin of 13.2 percent points.
Ernst’s plans were first reported by CBS News.
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Seung Min Kim and Joey Capelletti reported from Washington.