Republican Iowa Senator Joni Ernst will not seek reelection next year in a major move that could shake up the 2026 midterms.

Sources confirmed the senator would announce her intentions next week. CBS News was first to report her planned Senate departure.

The GOP senator and retired military officer was first elected to Congress in the 2014 midterms and quickly rose up the ranks of Republican leadership. She previously served in the Iowa Senate.

Ernst has been tight lipped in recent months about her plans for 2026 and whether she would seek a third term in office.

A request for comment to her Senate office did not receive an immediate response.

The 55-year-old lawmaker has remained a close ally of President Donald Trump, voting in line with other Republicans for all of his legislat

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