Updated on: September 2, 2025 / 1:49 PM EDT / CBS News
Could Joni Ernst's retirement help Democrats?
Could Sen. Joni Ernst's expected retirement help Democrats?
05:51
Washington — Sen. Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, officially announced Tuesday that she won't seek reelection in 2026 after two terms in the Senate.
"After a tremendous amount of prayer and reflection, I will not be seeking reelection in 2026," Ernst said in a video announcement.
Ernst, 55, was elected to the Senate in 2014, becoming the first woman to represent Iowa and the first female combat veteran to serve in the upper chamber. In her announcement Tuesday, Ernst said "this was no easy decision," adding, "I never imagined this farm girl would he the opportunity to serve as a lieutenant colonel and then a United States senator."
CBS News first reported last week that Ernst was planning to reveal that she wouldn't seek another term.
Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025.
Daniel Heuer / Bloomberg via Getty Images
The decision comes after the Iowa Republican faced criticism in recent months from both sides of the aisle — from Democrats over comments she made about Medicaid cuts, and from her own party over her initial reluctance to support Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's confirmation earlier this year.
Ernst's decision not to seek reelection opens up a seat in Iowa, where Democrats are hoping to make inroads as the party seeks to take control of the Senate in the midterm elections. But a Democratic candidate would face steep odds in a state Mr. Trump won by more than 13 points in 2024, and Iowa hasn't elected a Democrat to the Senate since 2008. That dynamic hasn't stopped a crowded field of Democrats from emerging, with state Rep. Josh Turek, state Sen. Zach Wahls and Nathan Sage, executive director of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce, all vying for the nomination.
Among Republicans, speculation has circulated about whether Rep. Ashley Hinson, who's represented the state in the House since 2023, could enter the race, along with Matt Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO.
Ernst celebrated her work in the Senate in her announcement, touting legislation to prevent violence against women, support farmers and veterans, and cut waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
"While this chapter of elected service will soon close, I will always find ways to best serve my community, state and these great United States of America," Ernst said.
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Kaia Hubbard
Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.
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