Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa announced on Tuesday that she wouldn't seek re-election in the 2026 midterms. (Reuters)
"This was no easy decision," the senator said in her video announcement.
The senator's decision to retire rather than seek a third six-year term creates an open seat in Iowa.
GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson, a former TV news anchor who is in her third term representing Iowa's 2nd Congressional District, which covers the northeastern portion of the state, is planning on running to succeed Ernst, multiple sources confirmed last week to Fox News.
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Iowa was once a top battleground state that former President Barack Obama carried in his 2008 and 2012 White House victories. But the state has shifted to the right in recent election cycles, with President Donald Trump carrying the state by eight points in 2020 and by 13 points last November.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa sits for a Fox News Digital interview, on June 2, 2023, in Des Moines, Iowa. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News )
The senator, thanks to her military background, has often taken the lead on defense issues. She is the first female combat veteran to serve in the Senate, and made combating sexual assault in the military a priority, having been a survivor of sexual assault herself.
Since Trump's White House victory in 2016, Ernst has tried to strike a balance between her support for the president as she hued to a more traditional Republican agenda.
But earlier this year, Ernst sparked a controversy after she said, "We are all going to die," when responding a voter at a town hall meeting who raised concerns over Medicaid cuts in the GOP's sweeping domestic policy bill.
Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, seen on June 3, 2023, at her annual Roast and Ride fundraising event, has decided not to seek re-election in 2026. (Paul Steinhauser - Fox News)
Republicans are aiming to not only defend, but expand, the current 53-47 Senate majority in next year's elections.
Senate Republicans enjoyed a favorable map in the 2024 cycle as they flipped four seats from blue to red to win back the majority.
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But the party in power—clearly the Republicans right now—traditionally faces political headwinds in the midterm elections. Nevertheless, a current read of the 2026 map indicates the GOP may be able to go on offense in some key states.
In battleground Georgia, which Trump narrowly carried in last year's White House race, Republicans view first-term Sen. Jon Ossoff as the most vulnerable Democrat incumbent up for re-election next year.
They're also targeting battleground Michigan, where Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring at the end of next year, and swing state New Hampshire, where longtime Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen decided against seeking a fourth six-year term in the Senate.
Also on the NRSC's target list is blue-leaning Minnesota, where Democratic Sen. Tina Smith isn't running for re-election.
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But the GOP is defending an open seat in battleground North Carolina, where Republican Sen. Thom Tills decided against seeking re-election. And Republicans will likely be forced to spend resources to defend Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio - who was appointed to succeed former senator and now-Vice President JD Vance - as he faces off next year against former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
Meanwhile, Democrats are also targeting moderate Sen. Susan Collins - who has yet to announce her expected 2026 re-election - in blue-leaning Maine.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast."
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republican-sen-joni-ernst-iowa-makes-official-shes-not-seeking-re-election-next-year