Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst plans to announce that she will not run for reelection in 2026, a senior Republican official familiar with her decision told ABC News.
Ernst was first elected to the Senate in 2014, becoming the first woman from Iowa to serve in the Senate and the chamber’s first female combat veteran. She won a second term in 2020 by 6 percentage points.
Ernst’s office did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News.
Her decision to not seek a third term was first reported by CBS News.
Ernst’s decision could prompt a fierce Senate race — though at least one candidate is already eyeing Ernst’s spot.
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) is planning to announce a run for the soon-to-be-open Senate seat, according to the same senior GOP source.
Ernst has served as Iowa’s junior senator since 2015. In her time in the Senate she served in leadership positions, including as the chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee and vice conference chair.
Ernst was a focus of major attention during the protracted discussion over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s confirmation. She ultimately cast a vote for him despite her record as a military sexual assault prevention advocate. Hegseth denied the sexual assault allegations and was never charged.
She also chairs the Senate DOGE caucus and has been outspoken in favor of making cuts to the federal government’s budget.
She garnered attention during a town hall in late May when, in an attempt to defend cuts to Medicaid to a crowd of agitated constituents, she responded “Well, we are all going to die.”
Several Democrats have announced plans to run for the Senate in 2026, including Des Moines School Board chair Jackie Norris, state Rep. Josh Turek, state Sen. Zach Wahls and business leader Nathan Sage.
National Democrats recently celebrated a special election win in Iowa, after a Democrat flipped a state Senate seat in a district Trump won by double digits in the November election.
But Democrats haven’t won a U.S. Senate race in the state since 2008. Trump won Iowa overwhelmingly in 2024, finishing 14 points ahead of then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
ABC News’ Allison Pecorin contributed to this report.
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