Iowa Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) announced in September that she will not be running for reelection in 2026. 

US Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) shared his thoughts on her announcement, “I wish she was running for reelection, but she said that she has a grandson; she wants to be with grandchildren. She has aging parents that she wants to take care of. She wants to put family first. Who could argue with that?”   

Ernst previously served as the Montgomery County Auditor before being elected to the Senate in 2014. She was the first woman to serve in federal elected office from the State of Iowa and also became the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United States Senate.

The field of candidates seeking to fill her seat includes Republicans John Berman, Jim Carlin, Ashley Hinson, and Joshuna Smith, and Democrats Chris Henry, Jackie Norris, Nathan Sage, Josh Turek and Zack Wahls. Primary elections will be held in June.