Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is expected to announce that she will not seek reelection in 2026. A senior Republican official familiar with her decision confirmed this information. Ernst, who was first elected to the Senate in 2014, made history as Iowa's first female senator and the first female combat veteran in the chamber. She secured a second term in 2020, winning by a margin of 6 percentage points.

Ernst's office has not commented on the announcement. Her decision to step away from the race could lead to a competitive Senate race in Iowa. Representative Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Iowa, is reportedly planning to run for the soon-to-be-vacant Senate seat.

Since taking office in 2015, Ernst has held various leadership roles, including chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and vice conference chair. She gained significant attention during the confirmation process for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, ultimately voting in favor of him despite her advocacy for military sexual assault prevention. Hegseth has denied the allegations against him and was never charged.

Ernst has also been vocal about federal budget cuts and chairs the Senate DOGE caucus. In a recent town hall, she faced backlash from constituents over Medicaid cuts, responding, "Well, we are all going to die."

Several Democrats have already announced their intentions to run for the Senate seat in 2026. Candidates include Jackie Norris, chair of the Des Moines School Board, state Representative Josh Turek, state Senator Zach Wahls, and business leader Nathan Sage.

Democrats recently celebrated a special election victory in Iowa, flipping a state Senate seat in a district that had previously supported Trump by a significant margin. However, Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate race in Iowa since 2008. In the 2024 election, Trump won Iowa decisively, finishing 14 points ahead of then-Vice President Kamala Harris.