Former Iowa state Sen. Jim Carlin. (legis.iowa.gov)
Carlin, who said he would not have voted for the 2022 measure, labeled Ernst a "Log Cabin hero," in an apparent reference to the Log Cabin Republicans. The group, which represents "LGBT conservatives and straight allies who support fairness, freedom, and equality for all Americans," according to its website, includes Ernst on a list of congressional allies. Ernst and several House Republicans participated in an event with the group's Washington, D.C., chapter in June.
If Ernst, who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2015, officially announces a re-election bid, Carlin's bid may be a long shot. Sen. Chuck Grassley trounced him in the 2022 GOP U.S. Senate primary in the state.
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The U.S. Capitol Building seen at dusk on June 9, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)
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He floated the idea of a return to the gold standard.
"We have to stop this free fall in the valuation of our currency," he said, calling it a "national security threat to us, as the world's reserve currency."
Hawkeye State agriculture "needs to be weaned off of federal subsidies," he said, opining that the practice "is hurting it more than helping it."
Carlin said he believes that "foreign aid is appropriate" in some cases, but that "it needs to be more measured than what it is … currently."
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/iowa-republican-targets-gop-sen-joni-ernst-ouster-saying-she-doesnt-vote-like-gop-member