Joni Ernst is now publicly backing fellow Republican Ashley Hinson’s bid to succeed her in the U.S. Senate.
Ernst, who announced she would not run for re-election four months ago, joined Hinson on the campaign trail this weekend. “Part of that decision on whether I would run again or not was knowing that we, as Iowans, would have somebody that could step in to this campaign and ensure that we keep this seat. That woman is Ashley Hinson,” Ernst said, to cheers from the crowd.
The event was held in Dallas County where 36% of registered voters are independents, and Republicans outnumber Democrats by about 7000. Ernst hinted at the stakes in a so-called midterm election, when campaigns can be tougher for candidates from the same party as a sitting president.
“It’s going to be a banger of a year, folks,” Ernst said, “so we’re going to have to get out and knock those doors, make those phone calls, talk to everyone you know.”
Hinson cited the theme of Ernst’s 2014 campaign, when Ernst promised to “make ’em squeal” in Washington. “For the past almost 12 years now, the biggest, fattest cats have been running away squealing from you and I can tell you this…not only will they not stop squealing,” Hinson said, “we’re going to make ’em squeal even louder.”
Hinson is currently in her third term in the U-S House, representing Iowa’s second congressional district. A spokesperson for the Iowa Democratic Party said with Ernst’s endorsement, it’s clear Hinson will be just like Ernst and prioritize “tax breaks for billionaires over hardworking Iowans.”
Republican Jim Carlin of Sergeant Bluff is also running for the U-S Senate, for a second time. Carlin, a former state legislator, ran against fellow Republican Senator Chuck Grassley in 2022. The 2026 Democratic Primary for the U.S. Senate is likely to feature Josh Turek of Council Bluffs and Zach Wahls of Coralville, who are both current members of the Iowa legislature, and Marine Corps veteran Nathan Sage of Knoxville.
Democrat Bob Krause, who served in the Iowa legislature in the 1970s, has also said he intends to run a fourth time for the U-S Senate.
